Iconic Coins of the U.S. Mint: The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel

By GovMint:

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is among the rarest and most mysterious coins worldwide. Private collectors and museums have chased the five known instances of the coin for decades despite the lack of knowledge about the design’s creation. In some cases, these 1913 Liberty Nickels have been valued at millions of dollars apiece. Learn more about this iconic coin here.

The Nickel That Should’ve Never Been

In 1913, a year after the U.S. Mint discontinued the Liberty Head Nickel, an unauthorized source mysteriously struck five more coins using the outdated design. These five coins, commonly known as the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels, represent some of the most famous American coins in numismatic history, as they were never approved for production. 

While the exact history behind the 1913 Liberty Nickel is undocumented, many believe a U.S. Mint employee was responsible for illegally striking the coins during the night shift when supervision was limited. Whether or not the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel’s creation was intentional, the coins remained a secret for years.

Why Is the 1913 Nickel So Rare?

The 1913 Liberty Head V Nickel is among the rarest coins in U.S. history because of its unauthorized production and limited quantity. An unknown person struck the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel without authorization from the U.S. Mint after the design had officially been discontinued. Only five of these coins are known to exist, and several have been sold for millions of dollars apiece at coin-collecting auctions.

Who Is Samuel W. Brown?

Many experts believe the most likely culprit behind the creation of the 1913 Liberty Nickel is Samuel W. Brown—a former employee of the Philadelphia Mint. The first public acknowledgment of the coins’ existence came in 1919 when Brown ran an ad in the Numismatic magazine offering $500 for any 1913 Liberty Head Nickel. Brown displayed his unique set of the five coins at the 1920 American Numismatic Association (ANA) Convention just one year after running the ad.

Because of Brown’s association with the Philadelphia Mint in 1913, experts speculate that he published the ad in 1919 to cover how he came to possess the coins—by minting them himself—and would later sell them for $600 each. Brown’s suspected involvement in the minting of the 1913 Liberty Nickel would explain how he possessed the entire set and his interest in a coin set that, until 1920, nobody knew existed.

Where Are the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Today?

Brown successfully sold the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels to August Wagner, who then sold them to Ned Green in 1924. Green was the final owner of the entire collection; each coin started its unique journey after he sold the set.

Two Liberty Head Nickels ended up in museums: the Norweb Specimen at the Smithsonian Institution and the McDermott Specimen at the American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum in Colorado Springs.

The other three copies are all part of unique private collections. The Eliasberg Specimen saw several well-known owners, including famous numismatist Louis E. Eliasberg. The Olsen Specimen is the most notable 1913 Liberty Head Nickel after it appeared on the TV show Hawaii Five-O in 1973. The Walton Specimen went missing after its owner died in a car accident. New York numismatic professionals originally declared the coin a fake, but other experts confirmed its legitimacy in 2003.

Learn more about other famous coin designs and artists from GovMint’s Coin Authority blog.

References

1. https://www.si.edu/object/5-cents-united-states-1913%3Anmah_835247
2. https://www.money.org/money-museum/virtual-exhibits-1913nickel/
3. https://www.beeghlyandcompany.com/blogs/blog/holy-grail-of-numismatic-collectors-this-1913-liberty-nickel-sells-for-4-2-million
4. https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1913-5c-liberty/3912