1883 Liberty Head Nickel in circulated condition — from the collection
The Liberty Head Nickel (often called the V Nickel) is a U.S. five-cent coin that was designed by Charles Barber, the Chief Engraver at the U.S. Mint. Over half a billion Liberty Head Nickels were minted between 1883 and 1912.
Earlier U.S. coins had been minted from precious metals that were worth approximately the value of the coin — for example, a three cent silver coin contained about three cents worth of silver. But there was great economic uncertainty after the Civil War and it was decided that it might be a better idea to mint coins from less valuable metal so that the resulting coins wouldn’t be hoarded. Thanks in part to political pressure from the nickel mining lobby, Congress passed laws in 1865 and 1866 authorizing the Mint to create new three-cent and five-cent coins using a copper/nickel alloy (75% copper, 25% nickel).
Of the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels, two have proof surfaces and the other three were produced with standard striking techniques. The Eliasberg specimen is the finest known 1913 Liberty Head nickel, with a grade of 66 from various professional grading services, including PCGS and NGC. Today, these nickels are worth millions of dollars. Otherwise, the value of a V Nickel depends largely on its scarcity and date—an 1889 V Nickel in good condition can be priced around $10, while fair market value for an 1885 V Nickel in uncirculated condition can be upwards of $1,500. Buffalo Nickel Series (1913).
The Liberty Head Nickel was the second five-cent nickel produced by the Mint. The first, the Shield nickel, had been designed in 1865 and 1866 by James B. Longacre. It had presented many production problems and had very difficult to strike successfully in the new alloy.
In 1881 Mint Director Archibald Snowden ordered Chief Engraver Barber to create possible designs for new one-cent, three-cent, and five-cents coins. All three coins were to have simple, nearly identical designs — Lady Liberty and the date on the obverse, a wreath and the denomination on the reverse — that would make them easy to strike in copper and nickel. Barber created and fine-tuned the designs and then submitted them to Snowden.
Snowden decided to abandon the one-cent and three-cent coins because he felt they were too small for people to handle comfortably, but he told Barber to continue work on the five-cent coin. Barber made a few more slight changes to the design which were approved by the Mint Director, and then twenty-five sample coins were struck. These sample coins were sent to Treasury Secretary Charles Folger for what was supposed to be routine approval.
To everyone’s surprise, Folger did NOT approve the new coin. He pointed out a problem that nobody at the Mint had noticed — according to U.S. law, the words “United States of America” were required to appear on the REVERSE of the coin, not the OBVERSE as Snowden and Barber had laid it out. Snowden did not want to change the design and asked for an exception for this one coin, but Folger was adamant that the design needed to be changed. Barber moved the phrase to the reverse of the coin, adjusted the rest of his design to accomodate it, and had new sample coins struck. Folger approved the revised design quickly and the Liberty Head Nickel began production in 1883.
V Nickel Pic
(Continued… History of the Liberty Head Nickel, part 2)
CoinTrackers.com has estimated the 1910 Liberty Head V Nickel value at an average of $2.5, one in certified mint state (MS+) could be worth $115. (see details)...
Type:Liberty Head V Nickel
Year:1910
Mint Mark: No mint mark
Face Value: 0.05 USD
Total Produced: 30,166,000 [?]
Silver Content: 0%
Numismatic Value: $2.5 to $115.00
Value: As a rough estimate of this coins value you can assume this coin in average condition will be valued at somewhere around $2.5, while one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $115 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say average, we mean in a similar condition to other coins issued in 1910, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. [?].
Year:1910
Mint Mark: No mint mark
Face Value: 0.05 USD
Total Produced: 30,166,000 [?]
Silver Content: 0%
Numismatic Value: $2.5 to $115.00
Value: As a rough estimate of this coins value you can assume this coin in average condition will be valued at somewhere around $2.5, while one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $115 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say average, we mean in a similar condition to other coins issued in 1910, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. [?].
Additional Info: 2405 proof liberty head nickels coins were issued this year and they are worth about $295
V Nickels 1910
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**When we say that 30,166,000, of these coins were produced or minted in 1910 this number doesn't always match the actual circulation count for this coin. The numbers come from the United States mint, and they don't reflect coins that have been melted, destroyed, or those that have never been released. Please keep that in mind.
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V Nickel Worth
***Price subject to standard supply and demand laws, dealer premiums, and other market variations. Prices represent past values fetched at online auctions, estate sales, certified coins being sold by dealers, and user submitted values. While we wholeheartedly try to give honest price estimates there are many factors besides appearance, metal content, and rarity that help make up the coins overall value.Call or visit your local coin dealer for more information.
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