Nickel Added to List of Critical Minerals in 2022

[Recyclersteve]

How did we all miss this one?

In 2022 nickel was added to the list of Critical Minerals according to usgs.gov. Critical items are things we need to import because we don’t make enough of them domestically. I searched and found no mention of this on this website!

There are 50 items on the list including many obscure ones like cerium and cesium. I have no clue what either of them looks like.

My speculation is that if leading producers are hostile places that don’t like America, then stuff they export to us is in more danger of being cutoff. I do know that Norilsk Nickel (formerly traded under the symbol NILSY) no longer trades in the U.S. because of the war with Ukraine.

This is all the more reason to hoard .999 Canadian nickels and coins from other foreign countries (like France and South Africa) that are made of nickel.

Nickel is still reasonably priced IMHO and demand from electric vehicles alone could cause the price to go up sharply. No, not selling mine at anywhere near the current market price.

[cwgii]

Wozers. Sticker shock at eBay prices of CDN nickels.

[Recyclersteve]

Wozers. Sticker shock at eBay prices of CDN nickels.

Melt is currently $9.37/lb. per KitcoMetals.com. Since 100 .999 Canadian nickels is exactly one pound, that means they’re worth 9.37 cents each.

If they’re actually selling at a big premium to melt, that could mean that someone (hedge funds, Tesla, etc.) is artificially suppressing the price of nickel and sellers know it is really worth more and won’t sell near the melt price.

[Recyclersteve]

The sales I’m seeing on eBay are either just a very small lot of coins or tougher dates like 1948, etc.

Very little in the way of sizable lots. I do see where 50 rolls (2,000 coins) sold for $500 (25 cents each plus $27.54 shipping) last month. It doesn’t specify dates, but I’m assuming these are all .999 nickels. That was the ONLY lot of decent size that I could find.

[cwgii]

The sales I’m seeing on eBay are either just a very small lot of coins or tougher dates like 1948, etc.

Very little in the way of sizable lots. I do see where 50 rolls (2,000 coins) sold for $500 (25 cents each plus $27.54 shipping) last month. It doesn’t specify dates, but I’m assuming these are all .999 nickels. That was the ONLY lot of decent size that I could find.

Lol.not all of us have enough bucks for that kind of investment.

[Silver4face]

The sales I’m seeing on eBay are either just a very small lot of coins or tougher dates like 1948, etc.

Very little in the way of sizable lots. I do see where 50 rolls (2,000 coins) sold for $500 (25 cents each plus $27.54 shipping) last month. It doesn’t specify dates, but I’m assuming these are all .999 nickels. That was the ONLY lot of decent size that I could find.

1948 should NEVER be melted unless nickel reaches 80-100 dollars a pound. We will all be dead before that happens.

[Silver4face]

However, I do like this thread, but I have to question how serious the U.S. govt is regarding Ni.

[Recyclersteve]

However, I do like this thread, but I have to question how serious the U.S. govt is regarding Ni.

I do remember Elon Musk coming out publicly and saying "I need all the nickel I can get!" Perhaps that had something to do with it being added to the critical list.

[Silver4face]

However, I do like this thread, but I have to question how serious the U.S. govt is regarding Ni.

I do remember Elon Musk coming out publicly and saying "I need all the nickel I can get!" Perhaps that had something to do with it being added to the critical list.

I also remember those words from Elon Musk. It was either last year or the year before. However, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. For example, Canada reduced the composition of the nickel to ZERO nickel , and they did so 23 years ago. If the U.S. was serious, they would do the same thing.