LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL
Liberty Head Nickel 1883 -1913
KEY DATES: 1885, 1886, 1888, 1894, 1912S
The Liberty Head Nickel, sometimes referred to as the V nickel because of its reverse (or tails) design, is a large V (stands for number 5 in Roman numerals). It was struck for circulation from 1883 until 1912, with at least five pieces being surreptitiously struck dated 1913.The obverse features a left-facing image of the Lady Liberty.
The coin was originally designed by Charles Barber, whoalso designed the Barber coins.
In 1883, the nickel appeared without the word “CENTS” onthe coin (Variety 1). Later in that year the word “CENTS”was added (Variety2) to discourage the fraudulent practice.
It was replaced in 1913 by Indian Head (or Buffalo) nickels.
1913 Liberty Head Nickel
The first information that a 1913 Liberty head
nickel have been struck was revealed when
a former Mint worker showed an example, at
the 1920 American Numismatic Association
(ANA)convention.
Soon after that, five specimens are known to
be in the hands of a Philadelphia coin dealer,
which he eventually sold.
After spending fifteen years in the hands of
Col. E.H.R. Green, the famous Fort Worth, Texas,
area collector, the coins were finally dispersed
in 1943.
Since then, the coins have had several owners
each. Today, two are on public display—at the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington and the
ANA's Money Museum in Colorado Springs,
while three are owned privately.
The most recent sale of a 1913 Liberty Head
nickel was in January 2014 at the Heritage auction
(PF-64) sold for $3,290,000.
It is uncertain how the 1913 nickels came to be
made. The Mint's records show no production
of 1913 Liberty head nickels, and none were
authorized to be made. Dies were prepared in
advance and sent to California for a 1913-S
Liberty Head nickel coinage, but upon Roberts's
instruction to stop coinage; they were ordered
returned to Philadelphia. They were received by
December 23, and were almost certainly
destroyed routinely by early January.
5 KNOWN 1913 V NICKELS