Liberty (V) Nickel
$4 – $104,725
- Total Coins
- 3
- Key Dates
- 2
- Value Range
- $4 - $104,725
- Most Valuable
- 1913 Liberty Nickel - King of Coins
Liberty (V) Nickel coins were minted from 1883-1913, designed by Charles E. Barber. This series includes 3 coins in our database. Values range from $4 to $104,725. The most sought-after is the 1913 Liberty Nickel - King of Coins.
All Liberty (V) Nickel Coins
Key Dates & Rarities
The most sought-after coins in the Liberty (V) Nickel series, ranked by highest recorded value.
1913 Liberty Nickel - King of Coins
The 1913 Liberty nickel is one of the most famous and valuable coins in the world. Only 5 specimens are known to exist. Liberty nickels were never officially minted in 1913 - the ones that exist were likely struck illegally by mint employees.
1883 Liberty Nickel (No Cents)
The original 1883 Liberty nickels lacked denomination markings. Counterfeiters gold-plated the reverse and tried to pass them off as $5 gold pieces, causing the mint to add CENTS to the design.
Liberty (V) Nickel History
The Liberty Head Nickel replaced the Shield Nickel in 1883 to modernize United States coinage. Charles E. Barber, the Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint, designed the coin. He featured a profile of Lady Liberty on the obverse and a Roman numeral V on the reverse. The Mint chose Barber because he held the official engraving position at the time. The design remained consistent for the duration of the series with one major exception. The original 1883 design lacked the word CENTS on the reverse, which led to a famous scam where people gold-plated the coins to pass them off as five-dollar gold pieces. The Mint quickly corrected this error by adding the word CENTS below the V. Production ended in 1913 when the Mint transitioned to the Buffalo Nickel design. While the Mint recorded only five 1913 Liberty Nickels, they never officially released them into circulation.
Collecting Tips
Focus on building a date set of common years like 1899, 1900, or 1905 to learn the series before spending more on keys. These coins often show heavy wear on Liberty's headband and the word LIBERTY, so buy coins with clear, readable lettering to maintain value. Watch out for altered-date coins where sellers modify a 1903 or 1908 nickel to look like an 1885 or 1886 key date. Always check the reverse for the word CENTS on any 1883 specimen to confirm you have the mass-produced version rather than the variety without it.
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