US Coins For Sale » Nickels

Liberty Head Nickel

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:53:38 +0000

The Liberty Head Nickel – this coin also earned the name V Nickel and it’s not really surprising why. This nickel which was designed by Charles E. Barber was an American nickel five-cent piece. Although it was officially minted from 1883 to 1912, there are a couple of patterns that were struck back in 1881 to 1882. Along with that, there are 5 pieces that were secretly created in 1913 – these 5 pieces are among America’s most fabled numismatic rarities.

Just like any five-cent nickel, the Liberty Head Nickel or V Nickel had the same composition – it has 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel.

It was early 1883 when the Liberty Head Nickel came to life for circulation. The first 5 million or so pieces of Liberty head Nickels had the Roman Numeral V on the reverse…however, it did not contain the word CENTS. This was immediately noticed by con artists. Not to mention it had about the same size of a 5 dollar gold coin.

With that in mind, many con artists started gold plating these Liberty Head Nickels in an attempt to pass them as gold pieces.

There were no changes in the design of the Liberty Head Nickel…even after 1883. These V Nickels were struck every single year from 1883 all the way to 1912. While many of them were produced at the main US Mint located at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints also produced the coins…especially during 1912. One can easily distinguish those Liberty Head Nickels that are produced in Denver and San Francisco Mints with a small D or S mint mark located on the reverse…below the lower left dot.

Serving as the five-cent nickel from 1883 to 1912, the Liberty Head Nickel definitely enjoyed years of success. However, just like its ancestors, it was replaced in 1913 when James Earle Fraser came up with the new design – and this came to be known as the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel.

Indian Head Buffalo Nickel

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:53:38 +0000

The Indian Head Buffalo Nickel – this American nickel five-cent piece had a lot of alternate names – Indian Head nickel, buffalo nickel, or bison nickel due to the bison which was printed on the reverse of the coin. Designed by the hands of James Earle Fraser, the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel was minted and circulated from 1913 to 1938.

During the early 1900’s, President Roosevelt started a campaign to replace all of the coins designed by Charles E. Barber. For him, Barber’s coins and designs are ugly – the Chief Engraver opted for ancient Greek designs which have been popular for high relief. This included the Liberty Head Nickel which was replaced by the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel.

It was in 1911 when Treasury Secretary Mac Veagh along with President Roosevelt hired James Earle Fraser to come up with a new five-cent nickel design. This marked the rise of the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel. On the obverse of the coin, Fraser’s design featured 3 Native Americans – they are Iron Tail, who is an Oglala Sioux chief, Two Moons, who’s a Cheyenne chief, as well as Big Tree, a Kiowa Chief.

John Big Tree, who happens to be a member of the Seneca Nation, claimed that his profile was used to design that portion of the portrait…which composes the top of the forehead all the way down to the upper lip. On the other hand, there has been some news saying that the sculptor said that there is another Chief Big Tree, who goes by the name of Adoeette or Addoeette…a chief who belongs to the Kiowa Tribe. According to the sculptor, this Big Tree was the model for the coin, not John Big Tree from Seneca Nation.

Last but the not the least, one can find a bison or a buffalo on the reverse of the coin. No wonder this nickel was also known as the Bison nickel. Possibly, this bison is Black Diamond who was found at the Central Park Zoo.

Shield Nickel

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:53:37 +0000

More than a century ago during the Civil War years, gold as well as silver were amassed in huge proportions. Almost every coin in that era except the cent contained valuable metal. This in turn resulted to lack of small change. The low-value paper notes also known as shinplasters were disliked by many…especially merchants since they wore out very easily.

As a solution, in 1865, Mint Director James Pollock suggested the creation of a nickel five-cent piece to serve as a replacement to the hated paper notes. Having a shield as its obverse motif, this nickel five-cent piece came to known as the Shield Nickel…and it was on May 16, 1866 that these Shield Nickels were struck.

Originally, the coin’s reverse design had a circle composed of 13 stars, and there are rays between each pair of stars. However, this reverse design was removed a year later. Why? Many complained about it…the appearance closely resembled that of the Confederate Flag. Not to mention the high relief rays made the coin really hard to strike or produce. Heck! Even after the rays were removed, the Shield Nickel’s striking dies broke very often and repeatedly.

Since its base metal composition discouraged people from hoarding it which in turn made it possible for the Shield Nickel to circulate very widely, one can conclude that the Shield Nickel was a very effective replacement for the half dime.

Matter of fact, shortly after the Shield Nickel was brought to life…in 1873, the production or striking of the half dime was discontinued. However, just like its predecessor, the Shield Nickel was also replaced when Charles E. Barber was seated as the new Chief Engraver. With his own designs implemented on the US coinage, the Shield Nickel faded and the Liberty Head Nickel was brought to life in 1883.