Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 12/13/2009

Question
KM# 172 World Coins catalogue reference  - 5 Cent 1942 German occupation issue
I have a piece which is nickel (5 gramms - xf)instead of the regular zinc issue (2,6 gramms)- same size but not listed in the catalogue. What's the history of this "special edition" and does it have a higher value than the regular zinc issue? Thanks for answer

Answer
Hi Guenter,
This is actually an error coin you have, one that would be quite valuable.
This coin was struck on the wrong planchet, likely that of a US nickel. This was not an uncommon occurrence and there are several WWII era coin types from allied countries that are known to be struck on foreign planchets.
I would not be able to tell you an exact value on this, since there are really no such examples in the market to compare it to. Based on types that have this attribute, I would put an auction estimate of $500 to $1,000. It would need to be certified by a grading company, such as NGC, in order to fetch that kind of price.
Thanks for the question! =)