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Lot 220

Nickel Whitman Folders

Passed — did not sell at this auction

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About this lot

Estimated Value: $50-100

Origin: United States

Denomination: Five Cents

Year: 1883-1966

Mint: Philadelphia, Denver San Francisco

Grade: Various Conditions, partially filled

Metal: Nickle 

Weight: Various Weights

Additional Description:  Three Whitman folders—holding Liberty Head (V) nickels, Buffalo nickels, and Jefferson nickels—together trace the full arc of American five-cent coinage from the late 19th century into the modern era. Each series reflects distinct shifts in artistic style, national identity, and historical context, with the folders themselves bearing the marks of long-term collecting and quiet dedication.

The Liberty Head nickel, minted from 1883 to 1912, carries Charles E. Barber’s restrained neoclassical design, emblematic of the Gilded Age and an expanding industrial America. These nickels circulated widely in a country transitioning from Reconstruction to global prominence. The Buffalo nickel, introduced in 1913 and designed by James Earle Fraser, brought a bold departure in style, celebrating the American West with a Native American profile on the obverse and a powerful bison on the reverse. It reflected both nostalgia and the nation’s desire to define a distinctly American artistic voice in its coinage.

Finally, the Jefferson nickel, launched in 1938 and still in use today, introduced a more formal portrait by Felix Schlag, aligning with New Deal ideals and 20th-century presidential commemoration. Across these folders—whether fully or partially complete—is a rich cross-section of U.S. history and design evolution, captured not only in metal but in the methodical, hands-on tradition of coin collecting itself.

Lot details

Lot
220
Closed
November 17, 2025
Lot 220
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