The nickel that could make you $5M richer

This ‘Liberty’ coin could make you a whopping $5M richer, so before you toss out your old nickels, verify your numismatics to see if you have this rare coin.

If we were to give you a nickel today, you would likely scoff at the offering. The nickel is a 5-cent coin with very low buying power, and it is doubtful that you can purchase anything with a single nickel, not even a stick of gum. However, this specific ‘Liberty’ coin, or 5-cent coin, is much more valuable than the modern nickel. This ‘Liberty’ coin could make you a whopping $5M richer, so before you toss out your old nickels, check your numismatics to see if you have this rare coin.

The history of the ‘Liberty’ coin that could make you $5M richer

According to the American Numismatic Association, the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was never supposed to be minted, as it was to be succeeded by the new Buffalo design. Strangely enough, their existence wasn’t known until 1919, when Samuel W. Brown, a worker at the Philadelphia Mint, placed an advertisement in December in The Numismatist, offering to buy any example of the coin for $500.

Brown later obtained five 1913 Liberty coins, the source of which he did not disclose, and displayed them at Chicago’s 1920 American Numismatic Association convention. A Philadelphia coin dealer, August Wagner, bought the five Liberty coins in 1924. The coins had various owners thereafter but ended up in the ownership of Eric P. Newman and Burdette Johnson, who sold them in the mid-1940s. At this time, the coins obtained their current nicknames based on the collectors who bought them. The five coins were commonly known as:

The Walton Coin

The McDermott Coin

The Newman or Johnson Coin

The Bebee Coin

The Gullo or Wolfe Coin

Some have referred to the coins as the “Fab Five,” which have become some of the world’s most valuable coins.

Two of the valuable Liberty coins can be seen on display

The McDermott and Walton coins are currently on display for anyone who is curious about the mysterious 1913 Liberty Head Nickel.

The McDermott Coin

For many years, J.V. McDermott advertised in the Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, which often listed and discussed the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel. He was always keen on carrying the coin in his pocket, regularly doing a “show and tell” at the convention hotel bars. After he died in 1966, the coin was auctioned in 1967 and sold to Abrey E. Bebee. Bebee and his wife, Adeline, retired from their coin business in 1989 and donated the coin to the ANA Money Museum.

The Walton Coin

In 1942, George Walton bought the coin from Eric P. Newman. For many years, he regularly displayed the coin as part of his collection at shows. In 1962, Walton was killed in a car accident. His family misidentified the valuable coin as counterfeit. The coin was stored for years until his family rediscovered and authenticated it at the 2003 ANA convention in Baltimore. The coin is on loan to the ANA Money Museum as part of the “Dazzling Rarities Collection.”

Characteristics of the 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coin

For private owners of the other coins who are uncertain if their coins have value, you can check the coin with the following characteristics:

Obverse

The coin features a variant of the standard Liberty Head design, with an uncirculating finish. It includes a full-length figure of Liberty, who is advancing to the left and holding a laurel wreath in her outstretched right hand and a bundle of thirteen arrows in her left hand. The year 1913 is to the left and small "5C" is to the right of Liberty's head. The obverse also includes the inscription "LIBERTY."

Reverse

The reverse of the 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coin showcases a design featuring a Roman numeral "V" above an oak tree and a bundle of wheat tied with a ribbon. The year 1913 is below the V, and the inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arcs along the rim. Additionally, the coin features the metal content "CENTS" and the mint mark "P" for Philadelphia.

If you are the private owner of one of these valuable coins, congratulations!