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tractorman wrote:Its an investment in nickel and copper with absolutely no risk of losing money. The metal prices could go up [or down], but the nickels will always be worth 5 cents each face value.

I worry that putting a lot of money into nickels puts you at risk of losing out to inflation, given the basic return may not be as dramatic as silver and copper coins. Thoughts?

Also I found this gem from the past:

Posted - 09/01/2009 : 16:45:21
Like I said before, I have $9,000 in 5 cents bricks plus all the coins for the past 32 years which probably includes another $3,000 in nickels.

My question is, would I be wasting my time chenking them out for anything of value?

When I first change my first $1,000 for ten bricks of nickels I did open two rolls and found 6 foreign coins in them.......the rest of the bricks are still virgin.
"If you don't hold it, you don't own it"...Ponce

JobIII wrote:

tractorman wrote:Its an investment in nickel and copper with absolutely no risk of losing money. The metal prices could go up [or down], but the nickels will always be worth 5 cents each face value.

I worry that putting a lot of money into nickels puts you at risk of losing out to inflation, given the basic return may not be as dramatic as silver and copper coins. Thoughts?

Well, you wouldn't necessarily get the same return as silver, IMO, but all nickels minted since 1946 are 75 percent copper, so you would in fact have substantial copper content, although not as high as pre-1982 pennies. The only inflation worry you'd have would be if you held onto FRNs instead of cashing them out for coins--since obviously coins are metal and have intrinsic value. I say buy all the nickels you can get if you're already squared away on silver so at least you'll be able to make change for smaller transactions post-crash that you wouldn't necessarily want to use silver for, sort of like wanting to buy a pack of gum but finding that nobody has change for a $100 bill.

I always hear the "ohh. . . you'll lose out to inflation" criticism on nickels and pennies. Seems to me that if I was 100% invested in nickels and pennies I would be praying for inflation. Cant really think of anything that appreciates quicker with inflation than base commodities (copper, oil, food).
I am going to hold onto cash regardless. . . it is in my nature, as I do not trust too many institutions in this great nation. When I was younger I hid stacks of bills. Now I hide buckets of coins.

I see nickels as protection against both inflation and deflation. The depression of the 30's was arguably a deflationary death spiral.

In a disaster scenario: If you should happen to change your mind at any point in time about what metal you want to be invested in, you can much easier trade up your nickels for say silver. IE: Back before 1933 you could trade a 10 roll bundle of nickels fairly easily for a near ounce gold double eagle, much much easier than trying to convert paper bills into gold. I can imagine it would be fairly easy to exchange a bundle of nickel for a silver ounce or two (or more) at todays exchange rates. Back in 1960's noone thought twice about exchanging five 25% nickels for one silver quarter.

Because noone is going to sell you silver for a $20 cotton FRN, but will probably take a bundle of nickels.

If Nickel hits $23 again, a ten roll bundle of pure Canadian nickels will worth $90 or so - of which I may or may not be willing to trade for three ounces of silver. But hand me a $100 bill - and you get neither.

If the powers that be decide to raise interest rates back up to 18% and put the pain on borrowers, just cash your nickels back in at face.

I can see it now.
The price of copper and nickel double.
The govt. doesn't lift the melt ban.
Someone parks a factory ship with smelters out past the 12 mile limit.
You know someone,who knows someone.......
Cigarette boats are running pennies and nickels out to the ships and running bars of copper and nickel back in

Z00 wrote:I can see it now.
The price of copper and nickel double.
The govt. doesn't lift the melt ban.
Someone parks a factory ship with smelters out past the 12 mile limit.
You know someone,who knows someone.......
Cigarette boats are running pennies and nickels out to the ships and running bars of copper and nickel back in

As noted throughout this board, it makes no sense to melt coins down for their metal because then the metal has to be assayed to determine its content. With the coins still intact, you know exactly what you have--just like with pre-1965 silver coins that just about everyone knows are 90 percent silver just by looking at the date and the coin. I can't see people melting the coins after the melt ban is dropped because of that.

The other thing is its relatively easy where all the nickels have the same composition, basically. Once you get them from the bank you don't even have to sort them, pennies you do. I would say they probably do both.

i have a few boxes that i don't intend to open. i view it as having cash outside the system that realistically a crook is going to have a hard time running away with unless he brings a cart. potential upside in copper prices and numi. I need to remember to write the dates on the boxes.

At this point I have too many nickels, I wonder how much could fit in a medium flat rate box? If anyone wants nickels shipped to them let me know.

I agree with Nickelless, it would make no sense to melt them down. They're worth more in the coin form. That is why I don't understand why junk silver coins sell for below spot. I guess you just keep on buying what you can, (copper pennies, nickels, junk silver, bullion) for as much under spot as you can. I'm guessing that eventually they all move closer to their spot price.

I'm looking for some 1943 nickels to fill a collection - can someone tell me what they are selling for now? Thanks, need about a roll