Liberty Nickels (1883-1913)

Sort by
Default
Most Popular
Price: Low to High
Price: High to Low
Weight: Ascending
Weight: Descending
Year: Ascending
Year: Descending
Highest Rated
Sale
On Sale (7)
Clearance (3)
Product Type
Coin (207)
Proof Coin (16)
Supplies (1)
Year
Random (3)
Multiple Years (1)
1912 (17)
1911 (5)
1910 (4)
1909 (8)
1908 (7)
1907 (9)
1906 (4)
1905 (6)
1904 (3)
1903 (4)
1902 (3)
1901 (2)
1900 (6)
1899 (7)
1898 (7)
1897 (5)
1896 (5)
1895 (7)
1894 (6)
1893 (6)
1892 (8)
1891 (9)
1890 (8)
1889 (6)
1888 (8)
1887 (7)
1886 (16)
1885 (3)
1884 (7)
1883 (25)
See More
Grade
Brilliant Uncirculated (10)
Proof - 68 Cameo (1)
Proof - 68 (2)
Proof - 67 Cameo (1)
Proof - 67 (4)
MS-67 (2)
Proof - 66 UCAM (1)
Proof - 66 (4)
MS-66 (8)
Proof - 65 (2)
MS-65 (7)
Proof - 64 (1)
MS-64 (14)
MS-63 (6)
MS-62 (2)
MS-61 (1)
Almost Uncirculated - 58 (2)
Almost Uncirculated - 55 (2)
Almost Uncirculated - 50 (1)
Almost Uncirculated (15)
Extra Fine - 45 (2)
Extra Fine (22)
Very Fine - 20 (1)
Very Fine (28)
Fine (20)
Very Good/Fine (1)
Very Good (14)
Good or Better (1)
Good - 6 (1)
Good - 4 (1)
Good (27)
Almost Good (12)
Average Circulated (3)
Heavily Circulated (1)
Cull (2)
None (1)
See More
Attributes
+ (18)
CAC (3)
Mint Error (1)
Price
Under $25 (64)
$25 to $99 (59)
$100 to $499 (54)
$500 to $999 (15)
$1,000 to $2,500 (14)
Over $2,500 (13)
Min Price
Max Price
Availability
In Stock (125)
All Available (125)
1883-1912 Liberty Head V Nickel Culls
1883-1912 Liberty Head V Nickel Culls
$0.89
As Low As
Quantity Check/Wire
1 - 39 $0.99
40 + $0.89
Sale
1886 Liberty Nickel Good-4 PCGS
1886 Liberty Nickel Good-4 PCGS
$159.99 $179.99
Any Quantity
Grade Mintage Population
3,326,000 186
1886 Liberty Nickel VF-20 PCGS
1886 Liberty Nickel VF-20 PCGS
$449.99
Any Quantity
Grade Mintage Population
3,326,000 53
New
1886 Liberty Head V Nickel MS-64 PCGS
1886 Liberty Head V Nickel MS-64 PCGS
$2,829.00
Any Quantity
Grade Mintage Population
3,326,000 121
New
1887 Liberty Head V Nickel MS-63 PCGS
1887 Liberty Head V Nickel MS-63 PCGS
$329.99
Any Quantity
Grade Mintage Population
15,260,692 199
1888 Liberty V Nickel MS-65 PCGS
1888 Liberty V Nickel MS-65 PCGS
$969.00
Any Quantity
Grade Mintage Population
10,715,901 95

Liberty Nickels

APMEX offers a superb selection of Liberty Nickels. The Liberty Nickel, designed by Charles Barber followed the Shield nickels. The obverse features Barber’s Liberty design surrounded by 13 stars, representing the 13 states of the Union. The reverse depicts the Roman numeral V encircled by a wreath. These coins were minted between 1883 and 1913. Also called the V nickel, for the Roman numeral on the back, the Mint realized that a serious mistake had been made.

The V Nickel Coins

In 1883, the Shield Nickel design was being replaced with a better, sleeker and overall more impressive design. Or so thought the United States Mint. They designed a coin featuring an allegorical representation of Liberty on the obverse and a Roman Numeral “V” for the face value of five cents on the reverse. However, they left off the word “Cents” from the reverse. Some enterprising individuals realized the coin did not have the word “Cents” displayed and proceeded to take advantage of the public and store owners alike. They would Gold-plate the coins and pass them off as $5 Gold pieces, due to their similar sizes. This was a new coin design that was relatively unknown to the public, causing many people to fall victim. As that continued with surprising frequency, the U.S. Mint was alerted and after almost 5.5 million coins were struck, the mint added the word “Cents” into the design.

History of Liberty Nickels

Many of us have heard the expression “Are you Joshing me?” and we have the Liberty Nickel to thank for that. A man named Joshua Tatum was hearing impaired and could not speak. He would go into a saloon and order a 5-cent beer by pointing to it. He would then throw down a Gold-plated 1883 Liberty Nickel and await his change. Most bartenders, thinking it was a $5 Gold piece, gave Josh his beer and $4.95 in change. Tatum would never say a word and would simply pick up his change and leave. After successfully running this con repeatedly, Tatum was tracked down by authorities and found possessing several hundred Gold-plated Liberty Nickels. At his trial, the swindled merchants spoke about how he deceived them. However, the case was dismissed as Tatum never asked for change but instead took what the bartenders offered. Now you know the story of that familiar phrase and also why the 1883 Liberty Nickel “without Cents” is sometimes called a “Racketeer Nickel.”

Collecting Nickels from the U.S. Mint

Nickels from the U.S. Mint have a rich history and many present am accessible entry point to collect coins from the U.S. Mint. Other popular American nickels to collect include Shield nickels, Buffalo nickels, and Jefferson Nickels. Jefferson nickels can be exceptionally affordable to start collecting, with dates like the 1964 Jefferson Nickel - Denver, only costing a bit more than their face value.

If you are searching for more nickels, browse our selection of Buffalo nickels, which make a wonderful starting point to expand your U.S. nickel collection to other popular series.
210,000+ Customer Reviews
4.9 Overall Satisfaction Rating, the Highest Score in the Industry
Check out what other customers are saying.

Items in Cart


There are no items in the cart.

APXIIS01