Drescription:  The Liberty Head "V" Nickel (1883–1913), designed by Charles E. Barber, features a left-facing portrait of Lady Liberty on the obverse and a large Roman numeral "V" on the reverse. Composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, these 21.2 mm, 5-gram coins are known for the "Racketeer Nickel" scandal in 1883.

Key Features and Design

Obverse: A classical portrait of Lady Liberty facing left, wearing a coronet inscribed "LIBERTY" and a wreath of cotton, corn, wheat, and maple leaves. Thirteen stars surround the portrait, with the date at the bottom.

Reverse: A large Roman numeral "V" (representing 5 cents) sits in the center of a wreath of corn, wheat, and cotton. The words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" are inscribed.

Initial 1883 Scandal: The first 1883 nickels lacked the word "CENTS," leading to gold-plating scams where they were passed as $5 gold pieces. The word "CENTS" was added later in 1883 to resolve this.

1913 Issue: While production technically ended in 1912, five unauthorized 1913-dated Liberty Head nickels were produced, becoming some of the most valuable, rare coins in existence.

Key Collectible Dates: In addition to 1913, the 1885 and 1886 issues are highly sought after by collectors.