1913 Liberty Nickel

Great work! Awesome link!

 

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They'd have got there quicker if they had.

 

US mail actually used to be exactly how you shipped things like that. The Morgans shipped to smelters around 1918 were actually mailed there. It was thought Postal Inspectors were one of the best security firms in the US at the time.

 

I scrolled down and I see it. If you scroll one month up from there to April 1913, the term "recoinage" is used, again. I'm a little at a loss in understanding the context, but that may be where one would need to be in helping define the term "recoinage," that is to say, search for other such references given we now know February 1913 isn't the only such reference.

 

As a humorous aside….. One of my coin shop buddies purchased a collection once that included a very crudely crafted 1913 Liberty Nickel. Calling the piece counterfeit would be complimentary…… For years he had that nickel in a plain 2X2 with a handwritten price tag of $2,300,000.00 in his glass case. I always loved the humor in that.

 

That $2,300,000.00 price tag on it is I think a more effective way of saying "it's a counterfeit" than saying "it's a counterfeit."

 

Good eye, I scrolled right past it. There is also a "recoinage" reference later, February 1914.

https://ia800106.us.archive.org/Boo...73_0021.jp2&id=Rg104Entry273&scale=1&rotate=0
Starting from the beginning, there is another for January 1912 at the bottom, which states "reports recoinage of" and then lists amounts for 5, 3, and 1 cent coins. Since 3 cent "nickels" were not produced after 1889, the context for "recoinage" here seems conclusively to indicate that it means "melted and recoined", at least for that entry.

Of course we can't conclude anything definite about the $40k worth as the first Buffalo nickel mintage being "recoinage" - they may have screwed up the first batch and started over, who knows.

 

Completely agreed. I only want the original striking if I ever get when I can afford. 1804. 1827 25c. Gobrechts 1851/2$1. Etc. i don’t consider the restrikes coins. The 1913 I consider sorta legit but it has no appeal. The 84 and 85 trades I’d love but similar. But I’d love a 70-s date set especially as I believe there’s a quarter somewhere

 

Isn't there one in the cornerstone of the old mint. I thought I read that all 1870 coins were placed in the cornerstone when it was laid.

 

On our way to go see the mythical 1913 Liberty nickel….. And perhaps give some old coins a new home.

 

Hey @Randy Abercrombie ! Take lots of pics. Is that you on the left? Wow, you must be excited! Like the Holy Grail of coins, huh?

 

Yup…. Been a magical coin to me since I was a kid

 

You got style, Randy.

 

Did it say which example it is?

Here's more than you ever wanted to know about the 1913 Liberty nickel, starting on page 6. https://media.stacksbowers.com/VirtualCatalogs/CatalogLibrary/SBG_1913_Nickel_Supplement_LR.pdf
It's a long and sometimes scattered account, but fascinating. I had no idea that one of them, the Walton coin, went missing for so long.

@GoldFinger1969 Bottom left page 8 is proof that they already had the dies: "However, certain dies and hubs for the 1913 coinage remained on hand as late as February 24, 1913, as evidenced by this correspondence from Philadelphia Mint Superintendent John H. Landis to Director Roberts..." and had even sent some to San Francisco.

@medoraman There apparently was never a 6 holed case. Col. Green's case had 8 holes: "The “little black case” contained slots for eight 5-cent coins. ... They included the five 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coins, a unique copper 1913 Indian Head 5-cent pattern, a 1913 Indian Head cent circulation strike and a copper-nickel pattern 1913 Indian Head 5-cent coin without initial F on the shoulder."

There's no mention of the first run of $40000 worth of Buffalo nickels being "recoinage." Maybe it's not worth speculating about. Philadelphia was specifically instructed to "do nothing about five-cent coinage for 1913 until the new designs are ready for use." on December 13, 1912. Did they adhere to this directive? We'll never know. Obviously Samuel Brown and Stephen Nagy didn't.

 

Yes….. McDermott/Beebe specimen.

 

Very, very cool. I've seen this one and I've seen the Walton specimen.

Fun story - I was at the PCGS table when they slabbed the Walton specimen. It was a big ceremony. That specimen just recently sold for $4.2 million dollars.

 

Sure, but try to do the same thing with a 1974 aluminum cent or a pair of 1933 Double Eagles and see what happens.

 

Has the Treasury/Mint/govt ever given an official WRITTEN explanation of why the 1913 Liberty Nickel's are OK to own but not the 1933 DEs or 1974 Aluminum Cent or the 1964 Peace Dollar ?

 

Ask another way. Is there any evidence that the 1913 Liberties aren't legal to own? There's plenty of evidence for the other three listed.