1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 11,273,942 made
- Mintage
- 11,273,942 (includes proofs)
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.2 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 11 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel?
- No mint mark. Philadelphia only.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1884 are scarcer?
- The 1885 at 1,476,490, the 1886 at 3,330,290, the 1883 at 5,479,519, plus 1 more. So the 1884 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1884 Liberty Head "V" Nickel coins were made?
- 11,273,942.
What to check on your 1884
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at LIBERTY on the coronet, the hair curls and the corn ears in the wreath. Full LIBERTY is a key threshold for Fine and better.
The story of the 1884
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 11,273,942 in 1884, from 16 million the year before. In 1885 the figure was 1.5 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1884 you find is from Philadelphia.
Across Philadelphia's 32 Liberty Head "V" Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1913 with 5 made. The 1884 is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1880s it's 5th smallest of 8, between the 1888 (11 million) and the 1887 (15 million).
No CENTS, racketeers and two low mintage keys (1883 to 1886)
Charles Barber's Liberty Head nickel replaced the Shield design in 1883. The first reverse showed only a Roman numeral V with no word CENTS. Some people gold plated these coins and passed them as five dollar gold pieces, earning them the name racketeer nickels. Within a few months the Mint added CENTS below the wreath and moved E PLURIBUS UNUM above it.
Many No CENTS nickels were saved as novelties, so they are common in high grades, while 16 million With CENTS coins followed. Output fell sharply in 1885 and 1886 as demand weakened, with only 1.5 million in 1885 and 3.3 million in 1886, making them the key dates of the series. Both are usually found worn to Good or Very Good. Gold plated 1883 No CENTS nickels are period novelties rather than Mint errors.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with 13 stars around her and the date below. The reverse has a large Roman numeral V inside a wreath with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The word CENTS was added below the wreath partway through 1883. Mint marks, used only on the 1912-D and 1912-S, are on the reverse to the left of CENTS.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Liberty Head "V" Nickel (1883–1913) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 11,273,942 (includes proofs) |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.