The American public liked the design and saved many coins from this inaugural year. 1912-S Liberty V Nickel isn't too difficult to authenticate, unless the coin is heavily circulated and the mint mark is flat and Thanks for sharing. There are several theories associated with the creation of the 1913 Liberty (V) nickel. While conducting his counterfeiting activities, Henning was fully employed by the firm Day & Zimmermann, Engineers in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June 3, 2005. After becoming friendly with the tellers, I began buying boxes of coins, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to search. (To learn the difference between transfer-die counterfeits and other types, visit NGCcoin.com/Counterfeits). Of the five existing 1913 Liberty Head nickels, the finest specimen is valued at a minimum of $5 million. Part of HuffPost Business. Coinflation. While the stars are a good starting point, you will also want to closely examine other coin details such as the date or V in a similar fashion. Interesting blog. He had bought one of the 1913 Liberty nickels in 1945 for $3,750. Subscribe to the free NGC eNewsletter today! 818 NORTH CASCADE AVENUE The major effect of Mehl's publicity was threefold: It made Mehl very wealthy through peddling his worthless book; it made the 1913 Liberty head nickel one of the most famous of American coins; and it stimulated the ungodly to make thousands of altered dates (mostly from 1903, 1910 or 1912) pretending to be 1913's.". It is not a nickle nor is it a 1913 Liberty Head and it appears to be an attempted replica. Unable to subscribe to our eNewsletter. It was known that Brown had been an employee of the U.S. Mint during the year 1913. The second These coins have not been minted since 1913, and the older they get the more potentially valuable they may be. This lot moved between several different coin dealers before Colonel E. H. R. Green purchased them. Hennings problems stemmed from his coins dated 1944, since it seems he either didnt know or didnt care that the wartime nickels had a different mint mark. Thanks for writing this. The heirs sold the coin at auction for US$3,172,500 in April of 2013. Myers and her brother, Ryan Givens, celebrated their new fortune with dinner and told the AP they plan to invest the money. The 1886 edition is also desired by dealers and collectors as well. PSE | Please try again later. I have what I believe is a 1944 no mint mark Henning nickel. The Mysterious 1913 Liberty Nickel, Liberty Nickel Collector Society. As was the case on the obverse, the reverse devices are pimpled and the fields have incorrect luster and odd, heavy die-polish lines. Sign in or register to get started. The S mint mark location is on the reverse of the Liberty Head "V" Nickel under the dot near the rim on the lower-left side of the coin as depicted in the example image above. USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1912-S Liberty Nickel is Worth $273 in Average Condition and can be Worth $1,925 to $2,277 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. According to the Heritage Auction listing (2010 January Orlando, FL, FUN US Coin Auction #1136, Lot #2455), circa 1975 Bowers and Ruddy Galleries bought a half interest in the Olsen specimen, but then changed their mind and sold their interest back to World Wide. Real B. Coin graders not only put your coin through an extensive grading process to determine its overall condition, but will also verify the coins authenticity as well. I can almost imagine Henning running around Jersey and Pennsylvania to the Benny Hill theme song throwing his coins away all frazzled. Later, local New Jersey numismatist Harmen K. Rogers spotted the incongruity on a wartime nickel without the large mintmark and reported his findings to the government in October 1954. It turned out that I had found a counterfeit Henning nickel. The coin then sat in a strongbox in a close for decades. Like other coin types, V-Nickel values can vary significantly based on condition and date. The coin is a facsimile of an 1894, which is the second most valuable date in the series. Therefore, some theorize that he either had them struck or struck them himself. Francis Leroy Henning was born in Erial, New Jersey on September 18, 1891. Join NGC for free to add coins, track your collection and participate in the NGC Registry. Even with considerable wear and tear, an 1885 V-Nickel may be worth nearly $400. Rare nickel: A 1913 Liberty Head nickel was bought for $4.2 million by a California coin company. In 2003, her heirs wanted to validate Givens claim and had it reappraised. But on his way to the coin show, his car crashed and community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. Lets look at what you need to know about one of the worlds most coveted coins. It has been researched and studied for decades. I have a nickel with a long p and a s 1943 and 1941 and 1935, I have found 6 I am unsure what years I have I do know I have a total of 6 with the years listed I have found All 6 in San Diego California In 5 months. The latter approach $1,000 in low mint state grades, making them some of the more expensive coins in the series. The Liberty Head nickel is also known as the V nickel One type also has a raised area directly in front of Jeffersons collar. The fields also have much heavier die polishing lines than normal, which are especially noticeable going through the star above Libertys head. Fake 4. She died never knowing she had the real thing, one of the four heirs, Cheryl Myers, told the Chicago Tribune. The 1913 nickel value ranges from $7 for a well circulated coin to over $525 for the rare 1913-S Type 2 Buffalo nickel in "Uncirculated" condition. The 1885 V-Nickel is the coin that is most sought after by dealers as well as collectors. In January 1924, Samuel Learn how your comment data is processed. The V-Nickel may be a great addition to any coin collection and may also be a great starting point for new collectors. By having your V-Nickel graded by a professional numismatist you may be able to get a much better idea as to what dealers and collectors might be willing to pay for your coin. As a result, he claimed to have created 12 dies (six obverse and six reverse) of various dates. "King of Coins" Finest Known 1804 Silver Dollar Doesn't Sell for $10.8 The appropriate authorities caught up to him relatively quickly, and Henning was tried, convicted, and sentenced to three years in prison. Johnson (3/1943); Numismatic Fine Arts (5/1946), lot 1058, unsold; Edwin Hydeman (Abe Kosoff, 3/1961), lot 280, unsold; World Wide Coin Investments and Bowers and Ruddy Galleries; Dr. Jerry Buss (Superior Galleries, 1/1985), lot 366; Bruce Morelan and Legend Numismatics (2004); Eliasberg Estate (Bowers and Merena, 5/1996), lot 807; B. Max Mehl, November 1944, lot 1551, $3,750 [Olsen], Numismatic Fine Arts, May 1946, lot 1058, $2,450 (unsold) [Olsen], B. Max Mehl, June 1947, lot 2798, $3,750 [Olsen], Sothebys, February 1954, lot 1695, $3,747 [Norweb], Abe Kosoff, March 1961, lot 280, $50,000 (unsold) [Olsen], Paramount, August 1967, lot 2241, $46,000 [McDermott], Superior, January 1985, lot 366, $385,000 [Olsen], Stacks, October 1993, lot 245, $962,500 [Olsen], Bowers and Merena, May 1996, lot 807, $1,485,000 [Eliasberg], Superior, March 2001, lot 728, $1,840,000 [Eliasberg], Stacks, January 2007, lot 1599, unsold [Eliasberg], Heritage, January 2010, lot 2455, $3,737,500 [Olsen], Heritage, April 2013, lot 4153, $3,172,500 [Walton], Heritage, January 2014, lot 5161, $3,290,000 [Olsen]. The coin's seemingly huge price tag was allegedly a bargain. Johnson. As a Numismatist it hurts to hear about these things. All five of the 1913 Liberty Head nickels were sold by Samuel Brown in 1924 as an intact lot. However, some numismatic authorities believe there are other possible explanations for the existence of these coins. Accessed August 1, 2016. NGC graders are accustomed to seeing altered mint marks and counterfeits in the Buffalo Nickel series. Blaire Briody is a contributing editor at The Fiscal Times. Very nice blog. How much is it worth? Eric P. Newman and B.G. Both sides of this coin offer clues that it isn't genuine. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. An unnamed collector in California purchased it for US$5 million in 2007. The mint differentiated these 35% silver coins with a large, centrally placed S, D, or P mint mark directly above Monticello on the coins reverse. Surrounding this coin is quite a bit of mystery, fascinating history, and even the potential of a sixth specimen. The Secret Service finally took serious notice when a teller at the Pennsauken National Bank in Pennsauken, New Jersey reported a few months later that he had $2.40 in suspected counterfeit nickels from Henning. Unfortunately, Walton died in a car crash just outside of Wilson, North Carolina on March 9, 1962, while on his way to a coin show to exhibit his nickel. Sold again in 2005, Legend Numismatics bought it for US$4,150,000. However, at least five coins were struck in 1913 that the United States Mint has no official record of. See photos and more auction details on AuctionZip.com Now. Then Eric P. Newman of St. Louis bought all five of the famous nickels in partnership with Johnson. It was then donated to the American Numismatic Association, which has it on display in the Money Museum. Artificial toning was applied to achieve a more uniform appearance. Hi im just wondering if anyone here can tell me if this is a real 1913 nickle or if its a fake? 1913-D Buffalo NickelType 2. As others have said, you have a fake. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. These are usually very crude, not of the standard coin composition and easily identified. Here is a write up by Q. David Bowers from 1996 that gives some excellent background. Warren Tucker, however, says that his company sold the Olsen specimen directly to Robert L. Hughes. Just a few weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin used the annual Victory Day celebration to show off the Russian A guitar belonging to the late Beatles singer John Lennon that was used in the recording session for "Paperback Writer A fully operational Apple computer that company co-founder Steve Jobs sold out of his parents' garage in 1976 for $600 10 Really Weird Things the Russian Army Wants to Sell You, Lennons Guitar May Go for $940K at Auction, Steve Jobs Own Apple Computer Could Fetch $600K. In the photos above, note how the devices (the raised design elements) on the counterfeit have a rough, unnatural surface. WebThe V-Nickel, sometimes referred to as the Liberty Head Nickel, gets its V-Nickel name from the coins reverse design. Fake 3. Firstly, many of the coins dated 1944 are too heavy and weigh 5.40 grams instead of the official five grams. Fake 5. 2023 Central Jersey Rare Coins Blog - All rights reserved. The high mintage from Philadelphia means these carry little premium today. Were it not for that date, even an advanced collector would hardly give it a second thought. Being young and naive and, well, dumb, I called my Dad over and explained how if he could loan me $10,000, I was sure I could double our CoinWeek does not buy or sell coins or numismatic material and No endorsement or affiliation to or from CoinWeek.com is made. Real B. A Liberty Head nickel from 1883 Brandon Grossardt. Eager bidders could offer up to $5 million to secure its purchase. PSA | !We even link the video about the Real B. ! A few of the 1913 Liberty Head V nickels are in the collection of museums, one of which is the Norweb specimen. Much appreciated. Is this image real or fake? If the stars are crisp and clear with no signs of erosion, your coin may be in extremely fine condition. In the world of coin collecting today, one of the most sought after of rare coins is the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel. While this defect is very distinct[ive], it does not appear on all of Hennings reverse dies. Not made by striking a die against a coin blank like most coins. Johnson. With an exciting The Walton specimen was believed to be lost for more than forty years. In February of 1913, the Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel was introduced to replace the Liberty Head design. V-Nickels dated pre-1897 can command significant premiums and many are worth $4 to $5 a piece. Nice & informative blog. Another theory, however, is provided to us by Lee F. Hewitt, founder and publisher of Numismatic Scrapbook, who said it would have been perfectly legal in early January 1913 to produce a 1913 Liberty nickel at the Mint. Sold the Olsen specimen directly to Robert L. 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Die against a coin blank like most coins Chicago Tribune, 1891 in 1913 that the United mint! Fields also have much heavier die polishing lines than normal, which has it on display in collection... Up to $ 5 million nickels, dimes, and the older they get more! As a result, he claimed to have created 12 dies ( six obverse and six ). Had found a counterfeit Henning nickel to validate Givens claim and had it reappraised based! Offer up to $ 5 million to secure its purchase five coins were struck in 1913 that the United mint. Company sold the Olsen specimen directly to Robert L. Hughes her brother, Ryan Givens, celebrated new...