Liberty V Nickel Value Chart: Every Date From 1883 to 1913

The dates to check first

These are the lowest-mintage V nickels struck for circulation. If you're sorting a jar or an inherited collection, pull these dates out before anything else and check the mint mark carefully.

1. 1913 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 5 made.
2. 1912-S Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 238,000 made.
3. 1885 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 1,476,490 made. The 1885 is the key date of the Liberty Head nickel series.
4. 1886 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 3,330,290 made.
5. 1894 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 5,413,132 made.
6. 1883 Liberty Head "V" Nickel: 5,479,519 made.

Every liberty v nickel by date and mint

Click any date for its full page: how many were made, the mint mark location, varieties and what to check. Mint marks matter: the same year can be common from one mint and scarce from another.

The series in 4 stages

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.

Steady circulation years (1887 to 1899)

Production recovered in 1887 to more than 15 million and stayed between roughly 10 and 17 million through most of the next several years. The depression that followed the Panic of 1893 cut 1894 output to 5.4 million, making it a scarcer date for the decade. By 1899 production rose above 26 million as the economy grew again.

The nickel-in-the-slot era (1900 to 1911)

Demand for nickels grew rapidly in the 1900s with streetcar fares, pay telephones and coin operated machines that took five cents. Production passed 26 million in 1900, reached 38.6 million in 1906 and topped 39 million in 1907 and 1911, the highest figure of the series. Nickelodeon theaters, named after their five-cent admission, spread across the country in these years.

Branch mint nickels and the five 1913 pieces (1912 to 1913)

In 1912 Denver and San Francisco struck nickels for the first time, with a small D or S mint mark to the left of CENTS on the reverse. Denver struck 8.5 million, but San Francisco made only 238,000, late in the year, making the 1912-S a key date. Philadelphia added another 26 million in 1912, so the P coin is common.

Decade by decade

• 1880s: 8 issues, 79 million coins. Scarcest: 1885 (1,476,490).
• 1890s: 10 issues, 141 million coins. Scarcest: 1894 (5,413,132).
• 1900s: 10 issues, 277 million coins. Scarcest: 1909 (11,590,526).
• 1910s: 6 issues, 105 million coins. Scarcest: 1913 (5).

Where to find the mint mark

• 1883 to 1911: No mint mark. Philadelphia only.
• 1912 to 1913: On the reverse, to the left of CENTS. Only 1912-D and 1912-S have mint marks.

Identifying and grading V nickels

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.

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.

What the value bands mean

• Face value: worth its face in worn condition; only uncirculated coins and varieties carry a premium.
• Small premium: sells for a little over face or metal value even when worn.
• Collector premium: scarcer than usual, so worn coins sell well above face or metal value.
• Significant rarity: a key date, valuable in any condition and often faked.

Bands describe a coin in ordinary circulated condition. An uncirculated coin with full original luster sits a band or more higher. Recognized varieties can be worth far more than the date itself.