Liberty Head Nickel 1913

Rank 05

This 1913 Century Liberty Head Nickel also has a gigantic price tag. In a recent auction someone bought this coin for over 3 million dollars. These nickels are so rare because only 5 of the 1913 edition were made and introduced to public. Today all five of the nickels are in the hands of hardcore collectors and are a very interesting piece of history. Good luck getting your hands on one of these valuable babies.

NGC Proof-64. Previously graded PCGS Proof-64. The Olsen Specimen. This is probably the most publicized of all 1913 Liberty Head Nickels. It is the only example ever handled by B. Max Mehl, for whom the 1913 nickel was central to his lifelong advertising campaign. The Olsen Specimen has been widely featured in print and on television.

The Walton Specimen. George O. Walton died as a result of a car accident on March 9, 1962. His 1913 Liberty was declared a fake. Walton's heirs kept the coin, still in its custom-made holder, for many years, bringing it out again in 2003 in response to a reward offered by Bowers and Merena Galleries. The coin was examined by numismatic experts, pronounced genuine, and presented with much fanfare at the August 2003 American Numismatic Association convention where it was reunited with the four other specimens.

The Norweb Specimen. The Norweb 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is now a showpiece in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Earlier, it belonged to the colorful King Farouk of Egypt.

NGC Proof-55. The McDermott Specimen.

The Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel was introduced in February of 1913, replacing the Liberty Head design. These were the first official strikes of nickels in 1913; the Mint's official records do not record any Liberty Head nickels produced that year. Liberty Head nickels dated 1913 first came to the attention of the numismatic community in 1920. All five were in the possession of Samuel Brown, a numismatist who attended the American Numismatic Association's annual convention and displayed the coins there.

In January 1924, Samuel Brown sold all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. The intact lot passed through the hands of several other coin dealers before finally being purchased by Colonel E.H.R. Green (son of the infamous miser Hetty Green). Green kept them in his collection until his death in 1936. His estate was then auctioned off, and all five of the 1913 Liberty Head nickels were purchased by two dealers, Eric P. Newman and B.G. Johnson. The dealers broke up the set for the first time.

The Eliasberg specimen is the finest known 1913 Liberty Head nickel. Of the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels, two have proof surfaces, and the other three were produced with standard striking techniques. The finest of the coins has been graded Proof-66 by various professional grading services, including PCGS and NGC.