Most Liberty, or 'V', nickels catalog at about $3 US dollars in worn condition. The one in the picture is uncirculated, with no wear and lots of creamy, frosty mint luster. It catalogs around $80. You can see what a difference condition makes to coin collectors. They are willing to pay big money for coins in uncirculated condition. Here are some typical catalog values for common-date liberty V nickels:
V NICKELS (most dates, see below):
worn: $3 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $8
well preserved: $30
fully uncirculated: $80
Be sure you understand what 'catalog' means. Look up the meaning on our Terminology page.
Most V nickels have common dates and the catalog values above apply. The 'key dates' are 1885, 1886, and 1912S. Here are their catalog values in average circulated condition, with a few 'semi-keys' included:
1883: $50 average circulated with cents (see below)
1884: $50 average circulated
1885: $1000
1886: $500
1887: $35
1888: $120
1889 to 1893: $40
1894: $150
1895: $50
1896: $50
1912S: $450
Use our Terminology page to understand what 'catalog value' means.
There is an important minting variety for Lib nickels: the 1883 no cents variety. When the coins were first minted in 1883, the reverse design omitted the word 'cents.' Apparently there was confusion about the value of the coin. Was it 5 dollars or 5 cents? The Mint added 'cents' during the year 1883. It turns out that the original no cents variety is much more common than the with cents variety. If you have an 1883 coin without the 'cents' on the reverse, it is very common and worth quite a bit less than the common coins outlined above. The 1883 with cents variety catalogs about $50 in average circulated condition.
Sometimes you see the no cents variety gold plated. It's to make believe it is a 5 dollar coin, not a 5 cent coin. These coins carry the handle 'racketeer nickels.'
Too bad you don't have a 1913 V nickel. There are only 5 of those known to exist. The last one sold at auction for (are you ready?) $1,840,000.
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