1886 Liberty Head Nickel
Base
About This Coin
The 1886 Liberty Head Nickel is a United States nickel from the Liberty Head Nickels 1883-1912 series — an early issue, 4th of 31 years in the series. In 1886, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 3.3 million. This ranks 3rd of 31 years by total mintage, below the series median of 16.8 million. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by stars and the reverse displays a Roman numeral V (five) within a wreath of corn, cotton, and wheat. Another low-mintage semi-key date with 3,330,290 struck, making it scarce in all grades. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 21.2 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $249 to $2.6K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $65K in MS67 grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by Charles E. Barber.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
