Olsen 1913 Liberty Head Nickel to be Displayed At Portland National Money Show

The Olsen specimen 1913 Liberty Head nickel, the most famous of five known specimens, will be displayed at the 2009 National Money Show™ in Portland, Oregon.

Olsen Specimen 1913 Liberty Head Nickel The coin has has been graded Proof-64 by both PCGS and NGC. It has the distinction of being the only 1913 Liberty Head nickel ever handled by B. Max Mehl, who made it a centerpiece of his lifelong advertising campaign. It was also briefly owned by Egyptian King Farouk. When the set of five 1913 nickels was broken up in the 1940s, the Olsen specimen was sold first to James Kelly and then to Fred Olsen, whose name it has kept ever since.

The Olsen specimen was featured on “The $100,000 Nickel” episode of Hawaii Five-O soon after it broke the record for the most expensive coin ever sold in 1972. During the episode, the “star” coin is stolen by a thief and spends much of the episode passing from hand to hand as the human stars of the program look for it. The coin’s price doubled to $200,000 when it was purchased by Superior Galleries in 1978. It has been resold on several occasions since then, most recently fetching $3 million in June of 2004.

The coin is being exhibited courtesy of its anonymous owner, in cooperation with Integrity Assets Management, LLC. At the conclusion of the Portland show, the coin will return to ANA Headquarters, and will be on displayed on loan at the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum.

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The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. With nearly 33,000 members, the Association serves the academic community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of programs including its education and outreach, museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars.