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Consign

Lot 388

1883-1913 Liberty Head and 1938-1964 Jefferson Nickels

Sold December 12, 2025

Price realized
$60
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Price realized is the winning bid (hammer price) and excludes buyer’s premium.

About this lot

Estimated Value: $50-100

Origin: United States

Denomination: Five Cents

Year: 1883-1913 and 1938-1964

Mint: Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco

Grade/Condition: Various Conditions

Metal: Silver

Weight (+/- 0.2g): Estimated Total: 824.78 Grams

Additional Description: The Liberty Head Nickel, struck from 1883 to 1913, embodies the refined classicism of late nineteenth-century American coinage. Designed by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, it portrays Liberty crowned with a coronet inscribed with her name, her profile formal yet graceful in the neoclassical tradition. The reverse displays a bold Roman numeral “V” for five cents, framed by a wreath. The earliest 1883 issue famously omitted the word *CENTS*, prompting confusion and occasional fraud when pieces were gold-plated and passed as five-dollar coins, a mistake quickly corrected in later strikes. Minted exclusively at Philadelphia, the Liberty Head Nickel remained a mainstay of American commerce for three decades. Its final year, 1913, is legendary: a handful of unauthorized pieces were struck, becoming some of the most coveted rarities in U.S. numismatics. The design’s quiet dignity and its connection to one of the hobby’s great mysteries ensure its lasting fascination among collectors. The Jefferson Nickel, introduced in 1938, succeeded the Buffalo design with a more contemporary realism. Sculptor Felix Schlag’s profile of Thomas Jefferson reflects the sober confidence of the era, while Monticello, rendered on the reverse, conveys balance and architectural grace. Struck first in 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel, the composition briefly changed during World War II to a silver alloy to conserve strategic metals, producing the distinctive “wartime nickels” of 1942-45 with their large mintmarks above the dome. Between 1938 and 1964, Jefferson Nickels were struck at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco, their design remaining largely unchanged. Though a coin of daily circulation, the series speaks to enduring American ideals, intellect, craftsmanship, and democratic simplicity, linking the Founders’ vision to the modern age in metal both familiar and resilient.

Lot details

Lot
388
Closed
December 12, 2025
Sold $60
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