1913
Liberty Head Nickel
2-28-2007 - From Wikipedia
The
1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of the best-known and most coveted rarities in
American numismatics. Only five examples are known to exist: two in museums and
three in private collections.
The Indian Head ("Buffalo") nickel was
introduced in February of 1913, replacing the Liberty Head design. These were
the first official strikings of nickels in 1913; the Mint's official records do
not record any Liberty Head nickels produced that year. Liberty Head nickels
dated 1913 first came to the attention of the numismatic community in 1920. All
five were in the possession of Samuel Brown, a numismatist who attended the
American Numismatic Association's annual convention and displayed the coins
there. Brown had previously placed an advertisement in The Numismatist in
December 1919 seeking information on these coins and offering to pay $500 for
each.
Ostensibly, the coins had been
purchased as a result of this offer. However, Samuel Brown had been a Mint
employee in 1913, and many numismatic historians have concluded that he was
therefore responsible for striking the coins himself and then removing them
from the Mint.
....this
would not have been a unique occurrence; such clandestine strikes were actually
quite common in the 19th century,
If true, this would not have been a
unique occurrence; such clandestine strikes were actually quite common in the
19th century, with the Class II and III 1804 silver dollars being perhaps the
best-known instance. Other numismatic authorities, such as Q. David Bowers,
have questioned this scenario, and pointed out that there are several methods
by which the coin could have been legitimately producedIn January 1924, Samuel
Brown sold all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. The intact lot passed through
the hands of several other coin dealers before finally being purchased by
Colonel E.H.R. Green (son of the infamous miser Hetty Green). Green kept them
in his collection until his death in 1936. His estate was then auctioned off,
and all five of the 1913 Liberty Head nickels were purchased by two dealers,
Eric P. Newman and B.G. Johnson. The dealers broke up the set for the first
time.
