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Greysheet & CPG® PRICE GUIDE

About This Series

The Greysheet Catalog (GSID) of the V-Nickels (1883–1912) series of Nickels in the U.S. Coins contains 52 distinct entries with CPG® values between $0.90 and $81,000.00.
V nickels, also known as Liberty Head nickels, were designed by Charles E. Barber and were first released in 1883. The "V" nickname stems from the primary reverse device, which is a large Roman numeral V signifying the coin's face value of five cents. This feature caused some confusion early on when the V was the only indication of the coin?s denomination, with the word CENTS nowhere to be found on the first 5.5 million or so Liberty nickels struck in 1883. The United States Mint soon added the word CENTS to the reverse of the coin, in addition to the V, and the design remained virtually unchanged for the next 30 years.

The last V nickels were struck for circulation in 1912, though five rolled off the presses in 1913 and were later revealed to the public by a former US Mint employee. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel, which is not a regular-issue coin as it was never formally released into circulation, is now considered one of the rarest and most valuable coins in all of numismatics.

In addition to the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, there are a few key dates worth noting in the series. These include the 1885 and 1886 Liberty Head nickels, which are genuinely scarce in all grades. Also ranking among key dates is the 1912-S Liberty Head nickel, which is the lowest-mintage business strike issue in the series (with only 238,000 struck) and alongside the 1912-D Liberty Head nickel represents the only year in the series when mintmarked examples were made.

Catalog Detail

  V-Nickels (1883–1912) Value Range Favorite
V-Nickels (1883–1912) Value Range  
Liberty (V) Nickel 5c No Cents, 1883 MS Type Coin
$3.40
-
$3,250
$3.40 - $3,250
Liberty (V) Nickel 5c With Cents, 1883-1912 MS Type Coin
$0.90
-
$3,750
$0.90 - $3,750
1883 5c No Cents MS
$3.40
-
$3,250
$3.40 - $3,250
1883 5c No Cents, RPD, FS-1301 MS
-
 
1883 5c No Cents, RPD, FS-1302 MS
-
 
1883 5c Cents MS
$11.00
-
$3,750
$11.00 - $3,750
1884 5c MS
$11.00
-
$14,500
$11.00 - $14,500
1885 5c MS Key Date
$165.00
-
$31,000
$165.00 - $31,000
1886 5c MS
$80.00
-
$42,000
$80.00 - $42,000
1887 5c MS
$6.75
-
$12,000
$6.75 - $12,000
1887 5c Doubled Die Reverse, FS-801 MS
-
 

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1888 5c MS
$13.50
-
$11,500
$13.50 - $11,500
1888 5c Doubled Die Obverse, FS-101 MS
-
 
1889 5c MS
$6.75
-
$14,500
$6.75 - $14,500
1889 5c Repunched Date, FS-301 MS
-
 
1890 5c MS
$4.10
-
$14,500
$4.10 - $14,500
1890 5c Repunched Date, FS-301 MS
-
 
1891 5c MS
$2.70
-
$15,000
$2.70 - $15,000
1891 5c MS PL
-
 
1892 5c MS
$2.70
-
$31,500
$2.70 - $31,500
1893 5c MS
$2.70
-
$19,000
$2.70 - $19,000
1894 5c MS
$6.75
-
$14,500
$6.75 - $14,500
1895 5c MS
$2.70
-
$26,000
$2.70 - $26,000
1896 5c MS
$4.10
-
$14,500
$4.10 - $14,500
1897 5c MS
$1.50
-
$15,500
$1.50 - $15,500
1897 5c Repunched Date, FS-301 MS
-
 
1898 5c MS
$1.50
-
$10,500
$1.50 - $10,500
1898 5c Repunched Date, FS-301 MS
-
 
1898 5c Repunched Date, FS-302 MS
-
 
1899 5c MS
$0.90
-
$4,700
$0.90 - $4,700
1899 5c Repunched Date, FS-301 MS
-
 
1900 5c MS
$0.90
-
$5,500
$0.90 - $5,500
1900 5c Doubled Die Reverse, FS-801 MS
-
 
1901 5c MS
$0.90
-
$7,500
$0.90 - $7,500
1902 5c MS
$0.90
-
$8,250
$0.90 - $8,250

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1903 5c MS
$0.90
-
$6,000
$0.90 - $6,000
1904 5c MS
$0.90
-
$9,500
$0.90 - $9,500
1905 5c MS
$0.90
-
$4,800
$0.90 - $4,800
1906 5c MS
$0.90
-
$1,250
$0.90 - $1,250
1906 5c Doubled Die Reverse, FS-801 MS
-
 
1907 5c MS
$0.90
-
$16,500
$0.90 - $16,500
1908 5c MS
$0.90
-
$14,500
$0.90 - $14,500
1909 5c MS
$0.90
-
$12,500
$0.90 - $12,500
1910 5c MS
$0.90
-
$7,000
$0.90 - $7,000
1910 5c MS PL
-
 
1911 5c MS
$0.90
-
$10,500
$0.90 - $10,500
1912 5c MS
$0.90
-
$1,100
$0.90 - $1,100
1912-D 5c MS
$2.20
-
$26,500
$2.20 - $26,500
1912-S 5c MS
$90.00
-
$8,750
$90.00 - $8,750
Liberty (V) Nickel Set 5c 33 Coins MS Set Total
$460
-
$81,000
$460 - $81,000
       

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Greysheet Catalog Details

The Greysheet Catalog (GSID) of the V-Nickels (1883–1912) series of Nickels in the U.S. Coins contains 52 distinct entries with CPG® values between $0.90 and $81,000.00.
V nickels, also known as Liberty Head nickels, were designed by Charles E. Barber and were first released in 1883. The "V" nickname stems from the primary reverse device, which is a large Roman numeral V signifying the coin's face value of five cents. This feature caused some confusion early on when the V was the only indication of the coin?s denomination, with the word CENTS nowhere to be found on the first 5.5 million or so Liberty nickels struck in 1883. The United States Mint soon added the word CENTS to the reverse of the coin, in addition to the V, and the design remained virtually unchanged for the next 30 years.

The last V nickels were struck for circulation in 1912, though five rolled off the presses in 1913 and were later revealed to the public by a former US Mint employee. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel, which is not a regular-issue coin as it was never formally released into circulation, is now considered one of the rarest and most valuable coins in all of numismatics.

In addition to the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, there are a few key dates worth noting in the series. These include the 1885 and 1886 Liberty Head nickels, which are genuinely scarce in all grades. Also ranking among key dates is the 1912-S Liberty Head nickel, which is the lowest-mintage business strike issue in the series (with only 238,000 struck) and alongside the 1912-D Liberty Head nickel represents the only year in the series when mintmarked examples were made.

Catalog Detail