Germany 10 pfennig 1875E - Silver? [solved]

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Hello, I acquired this 10 pfennig 1875E coin, but its color is concerning. It appears to have been minted in silver. I wanted to ask if this type of error is common with this coin? I will be taking it to a jeweler this week to have them perform some kind of test (without damaging the coin, of course). I placed it next to another coin; I hope you can notice the color change. Please watch the video, it's clearer there.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lC016ReYOY

 

Hola, Conseguí este 10 pfennig 1875E, pero me llama la atención su color. Pareciera haber sido acuñado en plata. Quería consultarles si existe algún error de este tipo para esta moneda? Esta semana iré a una joyeria a tratar de que le hagan algun tipor de prueba (sin dañar la moneda obviamente). Lo coloqué junto a otra moneda, espero que puedan notar el cambio de color. Por favor miren el video, ahi se aprecia mejor.

 

I don't think that it is silver.

It's copper nickel.

There is no German silver coin blank that matches the specifications of the 10 pfenning.

How would that error be made at the mint?

The Chinese were  the  first to use the copper nickel alloy, called white copper, for coins in place of a silver alloy.

Look at this:

 

https://en.numista.com/numisdoc/determining-the-metal-of-a-coin-27.html

Please don’t embarrass yourself in a jewellers shop, there is no such possibility of your 10 Pfenning being silver. It is Copper Nickel and it looks exactly like copper Nickel and not Silver, the difference you see is due to cleaning, environmental damage, wear and tear. There are millions of these still about on the German second hand market, I have searched through bucket loads like many other German collectors - and there isnt even talk of a mysterious silver version out there, so this really is wishful thinking.

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Status changed to Solved (Arpis, 13 Mar 2026, 06:20)

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