5 Cents, United States, 1913
date: label: date made
content: 1913
name: label: mint
content: U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
label: designer
content: Barber, Charles
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) 5 cent coin
label: Description (Brief)
content: United States, 1913
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Image: Left-facing Liberty wearing a coronet. 13 stars along edge.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1913
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Image: Wreath of wheat, cotton, and corn.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / E PLURIBUS UNUM / V / CENTS
label: Description (Brief)
content: General Information: This coin is from the King Farouk Collection, and is also known as the King Farouk V Nickel.
label: Description
content: Some rarities are accidental, like the 1927 Denver double eagle. Others are contrived, beginning their lives as scams. The 1913 Liberty head five-cent piece, or nickel, falls into this category. Were it not for that date, even an advanced collector would hardly give it a second thought. But the date is different, and a very clever set of circumstances ensured that the coins bearing it became memorable, twentieth-century legends.
label: Description
content: The first Liberty head nickels were struck in 1883, their designer the prolific if uninspired Charles E. Barber. Millions were made over the next three decades. The design was to be retired at the end of 1912, and that is when things began to become interesting. Despite orders to the contrary, five new Liberty head nickels were struck clandestinely, presumably at the beginning of 1913.
label: Description
content: Spirited out of the Mint, they came into the possession of one Samuel W. Brown, of North Tonawanda, New York. He eventually became the town's mayor, but earlier had served as Storekeeper of the Mint. At the end of 1919, he placed an advertisement in the Numismatist, offering to pay $500 each for 1913 Liberty head nickels. Later he raised the offer to $600.
label: Description
content: He already had all the coins, so what was he up to? He was making a legend, preparatory to making a profit! He displayed the coins at the following ANA convention (August 1920), finally selling the pieces to a Philadelphia dealer a few years later.
label: Description
content: At this point, San Antonio coin dealer B. Max Mehl entered the picture, also making offers to buy any 1913 Liberty nickels. That did it: everyone from ten-year-old boys to sophisticated collectors began checking their change, hoping to come across another 1913. No one ever did, but the coin's legendary status was assured.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
label: city
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
label: province
content: United States: Pennsylvania
label: country
content: United States
label: political area
content: United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: Coins
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content: Numismatics
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content: Coins, Currency and Medals
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content: Legendary Coins
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Zoomable Image and Details
label: Related Publication
content: Feingold, Ellen R.. Value of Money, The
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Mr. and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1977.1199.0001
label: accession number
content: 1977.1199
label: catalog number
content: 77.49.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: copper - nickel (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .2 cm x 2.2 cm; 3/32 in x 7/8 in