Numismatic

1884 Liberty Head V Nickel AU

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In 1884, the United States Mint produced the second annual run of a newly redesigned five-cent piece. This coin, struck in Philadelphia, represents an early moment in a classic American coinage series. The design was created by Charles Barber, who brought a refined aesthetic to this everyday denomination. The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Liberty. She wears a coronet or crown inscribed with her name, surrounded by thirteen stars representing the original colonies, with the date 1884 positioned at the bottom. This elegant depiction offered a fresh look for the nation's minor coinage at the time. On the reverse, the coin displays a prominent Roman numeral V, which denotes its five-cent value. This central numeral is encircled by a wreath, which is in turn surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the traditional motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. This particular specimen survives in Almost Uncirculated condition, preserving the fine details of Barber's nineteenth-century engraving.