The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel: Five Coins, Millions in Value

The Most Famous Mystery in American Numismatics

Only five 1913 Liberty Head Nickels are known to exist — and none of them were supposed to be made. The Buffalo Nickel had already replaced the Liberty Head design, yet somehow five Liberty Head dies were struck dated 1913, likely by a Mint employee.

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel — only five examples are known to exist, with individual specimens selling for millions of dollars

The identity of the person who made them remained a mystery for decades. Samuel Brown, a former Mint employee, placed an ad in 1919 offering to buy 1913 Liberty Head Nickels. Suspiciously, he "found" all five. One specimen sold for over $4.5 million in 2018.

But the nickel series has so much more to offer. The 1883 "No Cents" Liberty Head was gold-plated by con artists and passed as $5 gold coins. James Earle Fraser's Buffalo Nickel used three real Native American chiefs as models. And the wartime silver Jefferson Nickels (1942-1945) contain 35% silver, with the large mintmark above Monticello signaling the composition change.

The 1937-D Three-Legged Buffalo — where aggressive die polishing removed one of the bison's legs — remains one of the most dramatic and beloved die varieties in all of numismatics.

Your Thoughts

• Shield, Liberty Head, Buffalo, or Jefferson — which nickel series is your favorite to collect?
• Have you ever found a wartime silver nickel in change?
• What's the most underappreciated nickel variety?
• Full Steps Jefferson Nickels — worth the premium, or overrated?