Liberty Head Without Cents Nickel 1883 Variety 1

This listing is for a Liberty Head Without Cents Nickel (variety 1). This coin is circulated and will grade G-4 or better. All of our circulated coins have no major marks or visible problems (just honest wear). This coin is similar in quality to the the Liberty Head Nickel pictured in this listing. This coin is ideal to fill the hole in any circulated set. The mintmarks are mixed and selected at random, but each order will contain a Liberty Head Nickel from 1883.

Latest News January 9, 2010:  1913 Liberty Head Nickel sells for $3.7 Million at Orlando Auction

On Thursday, a rare 1913 Liberty Head coin sold for $3.7 million at a Heritage Auction Galleries auction in Orlando Florida.  Only five 1913 Liberty Head Nickels are known to exist.  Three Liberty Head Nickels are privately owned and the other two are in museums.

Information on the Liberty Head Nickel series:

In 1881, Mint Director Archibald Snowden decided to unify the designs on the 1-cent, 3-cent and 5-cent coins. Mint Chief Engraver, Charles Barber, was chosen to design the new coins. Snowden was unable to gain the required support to change the 1-cent and 3-cent designs, so only the 5-cent design was produced for circulation.

Barber chose a classical design for the obverse, featuring the figure of a woman facing left. The woman is wearing a coronet engraved with the word 'LIBERTY' and sprigs of wheat and cotton in her hair. She is surrounded by thirteen stars, the date appears below her. The reverse of the Liberty Without Cents Nickel displays the Roman numeral V inside a wreath made of ears of corn, ears of wheat, bolls, and leaves of cotton. Above the wreath is the legend 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA', and the motto 'E PLURIBUS UNUM' below it.

Controversy immediately followed the release of this nickel, as the denomination, 'CENTS', did not appear on the coin. Counterfeiters reeded the edges and plated the Liberty Nickels in gold in an attempt to pass them off as 5 dollar gold coins. These Liberty nickels were called "Racketeer" nickels. Within the year, the mint added the denomination to the reverse side and production continued.

Years:	1883-1912
Composition:	75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Weight:	5g
Diameter:	21.2mm
Edge:	Plain
Designer:	Charles E. Barber
Mints:	Philadelphia (1883-1912) Denver & San Francisco (1912)