1913 LIBERTY HEAD FIVE CENTS
PCGS No: 3912
Mintage:
Circulation strikes: 0
Proofs: 5
Designer: Charles E. Barber
Diameter: 21.2 millimeters
Metal content:
Copper - 75%
Nickel - 25%
Weight: 5 grams
Edge: Plain
Mintmark: None (for
Philadelphia) on the reverse below the button to the left of CENTS
Notes:
An interesting story about the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels appeared in the
July 20, 1953 issue of The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine. Two
follow-up letters
appeared in the August 20, 1953 issue of the The first was by James P. Randall: "I would like to add a few details
to your story of the 1913 Liberty head nickel."
"I believe the late Mr. Johnson's price was $1,000 less 10% to
dealers. He retained the best specimen, which had proof surface,
until last and I am sure he obtained a much higher price for it."
"The 1913 Buffalo nickel was in bronze and not copper. Type
I. Unfortunately it was a cast piece. I purchased it along
with the entire stock of patterns and trial pieces from the executors of
the estate. As I made my bid from a written description, I felt
justified in returning this piece for a pro rata refund which was duly
received."
Then from Abe Kosoff:
"An interesting note on the 1913 nickels comes to me from a source
close to B.G. Johnson. This party selected the best of the 5 coins
for his own collection, and this specimen is now in the Eliasberg
Collection. The comment, which we cannot corroborate, indicated that
only two of the 1913 nickels were in proof condition, the others
uncirculated."
The December 1953 issue of The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine
contained a further summary of the information known about the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels:
"When the late B.G. Johnson offered the 1913 Liberty head nickels
from the Col. E.H.R. Green estate to various dealers, the coins were in a
leather covered plush case and the set consisted of five pieces of the
Liberty nickels and one 1913 buffalo type in bronze (the buffalo has since
been reported to be a cast piece)."
"It has been presumed that five specimens were all of the 1913
Liberties altho the number six has frequently been mentioned."
"According to George Walton, who still owns the piece he obtained
from Johnson, the coin which James Kelly sold to Dr. Bolt is in the
collection of a wealthy North Carolina businessman. Mr. Walton
states that he helped arrange the trade between Dr. Bolt and the business
man. Mr. Walton expresses the opinion that the Buffalo piece in
bronze was substituted for one of the Liberties so there wouldn't be a
vacant spot in the case, the substitution being made before Johnson
obtained them or possibly before Green had them."
"Samuel W. Brown, North Towanda, N.Y., came to the 1920 Chicago
convention and exhibited one specimen. He left that specimen with
the late Alden Scott Boyer, who kept it about four months. In any
event, if there is a specimen in the Farouk collection, that makes six
accounted for. (We'll know for sure very soon as the Farouk auction
sale is scheduled for February 24th thru March 6.)"
"Here's the pedigree of the pieces as far as has been published since
the Col. Green set was broken:
1. Johnson, Kelly, McDermott.
2. Johnson, Kelly, Olson, King Farouk,
Hydeman.
3. Johnson, Walton.
4. Johnson, Kelly, Bolt, North Carolina
business man.
5. ---, Kosoff-Kreisberg, Eliasberg.
6. ---, Kosoff-Kreisberg, King Farouk.
"Note: Specimen 5 or 6 started out with Johnson, but we don't know
(for sure) which one or the owners prior to Kosoff-Kreisberg."
The July 15, 2003 issue of
NUMISMATIC NEWS (Page 4) featured a picture from the July 1960 issue of
"The Appalachian Bulletin" showing B.C. Sayers of Johnson City,
Tennessee holding a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel owned by J.V.
McDermott. Standing next to him was dealer George Walton, who was
holding his 1913 Liberty Head Nickel in its custom-made display case.
The finest Proof example graded by PCGS is a single PR-66.
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Images courtesy of Superior
Galleries
Registry of the five known 1913
Liberty Head Nickels
(courtesy of Superior Galleries,
revised and updated by Ron Guth)
The five 1913 Liberty Head
Nickels, representing the total number believed to have been struck, were
owned by Samuel Brown until, in January 1924, August Wagner, a Philadelphia
stamp dealer, advertised the five for sale. At that time, the five
1913 Liberty Head Nickels were sold to Stephen K.
Nagy, who then sold them to Wayte Raymond, who in turn sold them to Col.
E.H.R. Green, the famous Fort Worth, Texas area collector. After
Green's death on June 8, 1936, his coins were appraised by F.C.C. Boyd of
New York and sold in 1942 to Eric P. Newman and B.G. Johnson (St. Louis
Stamp & Coin Co., who with Henry Chapman had participated earlier in the
distribution of the Virgil M. Brand estate).
1. PCGS Proof-66 (illustrated
above). The Eliasberg Specimen...graded by Numismatic Guaranty
Corporation as Proof 66. In holder #999999-001. Said to be one
of only two with Proof finish. Purchased by Louis Eliasberg from Abe
Kosoff in 1948 by way of Eric P. Newman. Ex - Samuel W. Brown - August
Wagner - Stephen K. Nagy - Wayte Raymond - Col. E.H.R. Green - Burdette G.
Johnson and Eric P. Newman - Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg (Numismatic
Gallery) - Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. - Jay Parrino (The Mint) - Superior
Galleries "The ANA 2001 National Money Show Auction", March 8-9,
2001, Lot 728, "NGC Proof-66", sold for $1,840,000 (the lot opened at $1.4 million, received a bid
of $1.5 million from Legend Numismatics, then a final bid of $1.6 million) -
Martin Paul of The Rarities Group as agent for Dwight Manley.
Subsequently, this coin was graded Proof-66 by PCGS and was sold in or
around August 2003 for a reported $3 million to Ed Lee.
2. NGC Proof-64 (illustrated
below). Previously graded PCGS Proof-64. The Olsen Specimen. This is probably the most publicized
of all 1913 Liberty Head Nickels. It is the only example ever handled
by B. Max Mehl, for whom the 1913 nickel was central to his lifelong
advertising campaign. The Olsen Specimen has been widely featured in
print and on television, including being the subject of an episode on the
program Hawaii Five-O in 1974. A few years ago, subsequent
owner Reed Hawn exhibited it several times alongside his other world-class
rarity, the 1804 silver dollar. Ex
- Samuel W. Brown - August Wagner - Stephen K. Nagy - Wayte Raymond - Col.
E.H.R. Green - Burdette G. Johnson and Eric P. Newman - James Kelly - Fred
Olsen - sold at auction in 1944 to King Farouk of Egypt who "...soon
tired of his purchase and he sent it to the Hammer Galleries of New York to
be sold. They could not find a buyer at the price asked..."-
consigned to B. Max Mehl's sale of the Will W. Neil, sold for $3,750.00 - Edwin
M. Hydeman - Abe
Kosoff - WorldWide Coin Investments - Bowers and Ruddy Galleries, Inc. -
Continental Coin Co. - Superior Galleries - Dr. Jerry Buss - Superior
Galleries - Reed Hawn - Stack's - Spectrum Numismatics - sold for $3 million
in a transaction brokered by Blanchard & Co. on May 20, 2004. The King
Farouk citation (cited by Breen) was called into question by Superior in
their 2001 offering of the Eliasberg coin, but the citation appears to be
correct.
3. The Walton
Specimen. Ex
- Samuel W. Brown - August Wagner - Stephen K. Nagy - Wayte Raymond - Col.
E.H.R. Green - Burdette G. Johnson and Eric P. Newman - George O. Walton -
George O. Walton heirs. Walton
died as a result of a car accident on March 9, 1962. His 1913 Liberty
was declared a fake by Stack's of New York when his collection was consigned
to them for sale. Walton's heirs kept the coin, still in its
custom-made holder, for many years, bringing it out again in 2003 in
response to a reward offered by Bowers and Merena Galleries. The coin
was examined by numismatic experts, pronounced genuine, and presented with
much fanfare at the August 2003 American Numismatic Association convention
where it was reunited with the four other specimens.
4. The Norweb
Specimen. The Norweb 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is now a showpiece
in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.
Earlier, it belonged to the colorful King Farouk of Egypt. In the sale
of the Farouk collection, it was included as part of a date collection of
nickels, without any particular notice being made of it! On the 1970s,
the Norweb family made several important gifts to numismatic institutions,
including a 1787 Brasher Doubloon and many other coins to the American
Numismatic Society of New York, and this 1913 Liberty Head Nickel to the
Smithsonian. This coin almost went to the American Numismatic
Association, but in the end, Mrs. Norweb selected the Smithsonian. Ex
- Samuel W. Brown - August Wagner - Stephen K. Nagy - Wayte Raymond - Col.
E.H.R. Green - Burdette G. Johnson and Eric P. Newman - F.C.C. Boyd - Abe
Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg (Numismatic Gallery), 1949 - King Farouk - partnership
of Abe Kosoff and Sol Kaplan - Norweb family - Smithsonian Institution
5. NGC Proof-55. The McDermott Specimen
(illustrated below)...somewhat circulated. McDermott, a disabled
veteran, was for many years the leading advertiser in the Numismatic
Scrapbook magazine. "He was fond of mixing it with change in
his pocket, then taking it out and showing it to a bartender - often in a
hotel where a coin convention was being held - telling the barkeep and
anyone else within earshot that it was one of just five known and was very
valuable." After McDermott died in 1966, his widow Betts
consigned it to James Kelly of Paramount International Coin
Corporation. Ex
- Samuel W. Brown - August Wagner - Stephen K. Nagy - Wayte Raymond - Col.
E.H.R. Green - Burdette G. Johnson and Eric P. Newman - James Kelly - J.V.
McDermott - Aubrey and Adeline Bebee - American Numismatic Association Money
Museum.
Sources and/or recommended
reading:
"The PCGS Population Report, July 2003" by The
Professional Coin Grading Service
"Looks Like There Are
Six 1913 Liberty Nickels", The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine,
December 20, 1953, page 1169
"Missing 1913 nickel seen
in 1960", NUMISMATIC NEWS, July 15, 2003, page 4
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