Numismatic

1883 Liberty Head V Nickel No Cents MS-64 PCGS

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In 1883, the United States Mint introduced a striking new five-cent coin that quickly became the center of public fascination. Designed by Charles Barber, this initial release of the Liberty Head nickel features a classic profile of Lady Liberty on the obverse, her hair adorned with a coronet and a woven wreath. The reverse displays a large Roman numeral V encircled by a decorative wreath, but it entirely lacks the word cents, a detail that led to unexpected historical intrigue. Because the reverse only displayed the Roman numeral, clever individuals realized the coin was similar in size to a five-dollar gold piece. By gold-plating these nickels and adding reeded edges, fraudsters successfully passed them off as five-dollar coins. The Treasury Department quickly realized the oversight and added the word cents to the design later that year, making this original, short-lived variety a highly studied piece of American numismatic history. This particular specimen is preserved in an exceptional state of preservation, certified as Mint State 64 (MS-64). Struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of 5,474,300, it showcases the crisp details of Barber's engraving, from the individual leaves in the wreath to the bold lettering of the surrounding inscriptions, which include the country name and the Latin motto of the United States.