1913 Liberty Head nickel

Among U.S. coins, the 1913 Liberty Head nickel is probably the most famous and valuable. Only five of these coins are known to exist, and they were never part of the minting plan, so these rogue coins were never meant to exist.

These five coins quickly became a gem for U.S. coin collectors after World War I when former Mint employee and numismatist Samuel Brown, who was the first to reveal the coins publicly, began collecting them. Many speculate that Brown created these coins himself or enlisted someone inside the Mint to do it.

One of these rare coins, known as the Walton nickel, was misidentified as a fake for over four decades. When owner, George O. Walton, died in a 1962 car crash on his way to a coin show with his prized possession, the coin was dismissed by experts and tucked away in a Virginia closet.

After Walton’s death, the coin had been returned to his family. Although the coin was initially deemed a counterfeit by numismatic professionals who were unfamiliar with the coin’s unique characteristics, it soon became a coin that all collectors wanted. The coin stayed forgotten for 41 years.

The coin reemerged in 2003 when an attempt was made to relocate the missing fifth Liberty Head nickel before a major coin convention. Walton’s heirs turned in the coin that had long been hidden to experts for review. In a protected room in Baltimore, a panel of six leading numismatists confirmed that the Walton nickel was genuine.

After 10 years, the coin sold for $3.1 million. Later, the Firman family of Florida got the coin privately and displayed it at numismatic exhibitions and museums across the country to the delight of collectors.