F-12 1944 "Henning" Nickel

A famous counterfeit by Francis Henning of Erial, New Jersey. These very well done fakes were made by Henning in the early 1950's and can be easily recognized by the lack of the "P" mint mark on back (he also made others years which can be very difficult to spot). Henning reportedly dumped more than 100,000 of these coins in local rivers as the FBI closed in on him. He eventually spent 3 years in jail for the crime. Considering the amount that were made these remain quite scarce, though even today occasionally circulation finds are reported.