US Nickels

[gpimper]

Really quick history on US Nickels...the last silver nickels were struck in 1873 (sorry, I don't have one and I only post what I have :-(  1866 to 1883 saw a copper-nickel blend Shield Nickel (don't think I have any but I'll double check).  1883 the Liberty nickel was introduced.  Copper-Nickle blend designed by Charles E. Barber.  One of my favorite nickel designs.  I'll start this out with a 1910, she's been around but still nice.  Enjoy!  Philadelphia mint.

An aside for Bruce...ham and cheese omelets tonight    Hard to go wrong!

[Prosit]

I don't have a Silver Nickel either but I do have this Pair
1883 Cents, No Cents

Dale

[gpimper]

Nice!  Better than my old lady    I do like that 1888.

[Prosit]

For me the V nickels has been a collection of opportunity. I never intended to collect them although I like them a lot and they are a nice set. But if I stumbled on one I got it as I could. I have 14 different. I think an entire set is only 32 or 33.

I always called them V nickels. They are actually Liberty Head Nickels to most folks.

When you get to Jefferson nickels I can contribute if you like. I have the entire set in MS condition, although I never tried to get
a particular MS grade.  Since I have a lazy streak it is a pain to scan coins but I could if a type is missing that I have.


Dale

[Prosit]

Both are 1883 although with my scan it is hard to tell.

Dale

Nice!  Better than my old lady    I do like that 1888.

[gpimper]

Closer inspection they are 83s...I should have payed more attention :-)  Still nice.

As with the pennies all input is very much appreciated!

[Figleaf]

I can't show any of these coins, so I'll contribute a compact art history. The story of the design starts with Napoléon going to Egypt. This started a fashion, reflecting interest in classical art, that was compounded by half-hearted French attempts to excavate Pompeii and Herculaneum. The art movement got the name neoclassicism. The neo is justified. Classical figures that could have modelled in today's advertising were replaced with models rounded out with visibly more fat reserves, as was popular around 1800. This was part of a tendency to "improve" upon classical art. The head on the coin is as great an example of neo-classical art as the temple-like Lincoln monument of the cent, with the renaissance rule of having a strictly 90° sideways portrait view added.

The coronet with LIBERTY identifies the head as Libertas, whose head was usually covered with a Phrygian bonnet in ancient art. This is how Libertas is pictured on large US cents. It is important to note that LIBERTY (not Libertas) at the time referred to independence from the UK. Another novelty is that the bust on these cent pieces was shortened to a head.

The large V in a wreath is a compromise of concerns. Beginning with the period of the "terreur", the US turned against the French revolution, also rejecting its beneficial aspects. On most pre-revolutionary coins, there was no denomination, as was the case on the colonial coins. As denominations became commonplace in the rest of the world, except the UK and they would have been handy for the immigrants into the US, tradition fought it out with practicality. On this coin, practicality won.

The original 1883 design in neo-classical style, with a non-traditional Roman 5, improved by a wreath looked too much like a $5 gold coin. To make the difference "obvious", the reverse was re-designed by adding the word CENT. Probably, the media attention did far more than this change to stamp out the "gold coin" swindle. Funnily, the no CENT coins were seen as scarce and hoarded, while its successor was considered common and used, making the no CENT coins more plentiful in higher grades.

Peter

[brandm24]

The Liberty Head nickels really are of a classic design and very popular with collectors. A lot of the dates are readily available in nice collectible grades and don't break the bank.

The earlier Shield Nickels issued 1866-1883 (Proofs only in 1877 and 1878) were very popular with the public despite not having any silver content. The country was just emerging form the Civil War and the coin shortages and welcomed the new 5 cent denomination coin. I don't think the series is particularly popular to collectors today but I like the design and had a few in my collection. The attached image shows the two major varieties.

BTW, Greg, never underestimate the damage some one like me can do when commanding a spatula and frying pan at an omelet cook-off. It's a terrifying thought.

Bruce

[brandm24]

I don't have a Silver Nickel either but I do have this Pair
1883 Cents, No Cents

Dale

That's a nice pair of nickels, Dale. It's nice to see varieties pictured or displayed together that clearly show the differences. There's  a lot of variety collectors out there, some who only collect the varieties and no others in the series. A nice way to go but sometimes difficult and downright expensive.

BTW, I always called them V-nickels too.

Bruce

[gpimper]

1913 all mints changed over to the...drum roll...Buffalo Nickel.  The first three mints depicted the bison standing on a mound (1913).  From later 1913 to 1939 they were very much un changed with the buffalo on a flat plain.  Copper-nickel blend by James E. Fraser.  I have to apologize...my good nickels have seemed to have grown feet :-(  This is not one of my best but you can get the design.   

[Prosit]

1913 Buffalo on a mound
Dale

[gpimper]

Dale, that is a very nice early 13.  Part or your collection?

[brandm24]

Fraser rally crammed the design on this small planchet. Though it has a crowded look I really like it very much. It's one of my favorite US coins and one I actually remember seeing in circulation occasionally when I was younger. I delivered newspapers on my bike when I was a kid and got some pretty interesting coins in change. These, Standing Liberty quarters, Mercury dimes and old Jeffersons. They were quite a find for budding coin collector.

I like both of your 1913s ...just a great coin.

Bruce

[brandm24]

I can't let the Liberty Heads go without mentioning the fraudulent striking of a small number of 1913 dated coins prior to production pf the new Buffalo Nickels. The result created one of the most sought after and valuable American coins.

In 1912, Mint Director George H. Roberts ordered Philadelphia Mint Superintendent John H. Landis to hold off minting Liberty Head nickels dated 1913 until new designs (Buffalo's) were prepared. Apparently, dies had already been produced by then but actual production was delayed by Landis per orders from Roberts. Seeing a golden opportunity for profit, a mint employee named Samuel Brown and several others in the Coiners Department clandestinely struck a few examples. It's unclear how many were actually made but five examples survived.

Brown, though larcenous at heart, was an intelligent thief who patiently waited for time to pass before "marketing" his treasures. He placed an ad in the December, 1919 issue of "The Numismatist" (the official publication of the American Numismatic Association) offering $500 apiece for any 1913 dated Liberty Head Nickels offered to him. Of course none were forthcoming as he already had them in his possession. To continue the deception though, he raised the offer to $600 in an ad in the January, 1920 issue of the same publication.

At the August, 1920 ANA Convention he finally made his move and displayed the five examples that been in his possession for nearly ten years. It wasn't until January 1924, however, that Brown consigned the set to Philadelphia coin dealer August Wagner. Wagner advertised them in "The Numismatist" and eventually sol them to collector Stephen K. Nagy. Apparently, the selling price is unrecorded.

Nagy's purchase puts his name at the head of a long list of collectors or dealers who would eventually own the set or examples from it. Apparently, they remained intact until 1942 while residing in the cabinets of wealthy American collectors Wayte Raymond and Col. E.H.R. Green. In 1942 Burdette G. Johnson of the St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co. acquired them and finally dispersed the set.

As can be expected, many alterations and forgeries have been made of this iconic American rarity. The most common were alterations to the date of legitimate 1903, 1910, and 1912 issues. Most are easily detectable.

Bruce

[<k>]

The term 'buffalo nickel' is actually a misnomer.

From Britannica:

Contrary to the song "Home on the Range," buffalo do not roam in the American West. Instead, they are indigenous to South Asia (water buffalo) and Africa (Cape buffalo), while bison are found in North America and parts of Europe. Despite being a misnomer—one often attributed to confused explorers—buffalo remains commonly used when referring to American bison, thus adding to the confusion.

Another major difference is the presence of a hump. Bison have one at the shoulders while buffalo don't. The hump allows the bison's head to function as a plow (British: plough), sweeping away drifts of snow in the winter. The next telltale sign concerns the horns. Buffalo tend to have large horns—some have reached more than 6 feet (1.8 meters)—with very pronounced arcs. The horns of bison, however, are much shorter and sharper. And, if you want to throw a B into the mix, you can check for a beard. Bison are the hipsters of the two animals, sporting thick beards. Buffalo are beardless.