Shouldn't the 1913 V Nickel be illegal?

I would think if someone illegally manufactured a coin such as this, it would not be traded on the open market.
I'm sure I cant stroll into the mint today and make a few coins for myself
Could this be considered a counterfeit?

 

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Should it be illegal?
Yes.

Is it?
No, the government has probably ceded its ability to prosecute due to the amount of time that has passed since it was minted.

 

Double post again

 

Not a counterfeit.
But I believe it is an illegal coin as it was never a mint issue.
Nor was it an "accident" that these 5 coins were struck.
It was done intentionally, with mint equipment without permission, for the purpose of a profit.
I don't know how much the rogue mint worker got from the sale of these 5 coins to (Colonel Green?) but the joke is on him, and Green as well for breaking them up and selling them. Considering the current market price.

 

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is not a coin, but something cooked up at the Mint under dubious circumstances. It was never authorized, but the coins were in private hands and there was no great reason to recall them (unlike the recall of gold in 1933).

There is no need to make them illegal now, as they are historical pieces made over a hundred years ago and are famous in the world of collecting.

 

The Type-2 and Type-3 1804 Dollars are the same sort of thing. None of them are really coins, because they were never monetized by being officially issued. And they aren't patterns either.
I talked with John J. Pittman about these types of coins once (1986), and he wouldn't ever buy them because he said that they weren't coins.

 

According to my Red Book, there are 5 known 1913 Liberty Head ("V") nickels.

One sold for $3,290,000 at a Heritage Auction Jan2014.

OTOH, right now you can buy Chinese "replicas" for under $2/each. At that price I think it'd be tough to prove an intent to defraud.

And without an intent to defraud, strictly speaking I don't think you can call it a counterfeit.

 

Tell that to the Langbords and their 1933 double eagles.

 

@CoinBlazer
I got to see one of them with my own eyes!

 

Is that entombed in lucite?

 

Who cares? There isnt a single person on this forum that would turn down owning one of the 5 because they thought it should be illegal to own. Or maybe someone would rather not be a millionaire and have their name go down as one of the lucky few to actually own one. Give me a break

 

Yes, there is at least one person on this forum who would turn down owning it even if I should win the lottery and be able to afford it.

 

Its just a discussion. Not saying that I wouldn't own one

 

Not as much as he hoped. He originally advertised to buy them at $500 later raising the offer to $600. Not so much in order to get more of them but to establish a value for them. But when he actually sold the group of five coins he got $600 for the whole group. And it wasn't to Col Green, he was I believe either the third or fourth owner of the group.

Green didn't break up the set, Eric Newman did.

No, it is sitting (RAW) on a little plastic stand.

I have no interest in owning one. but I wouldn't mind owning the special case that they used to reside in. Even that is way out of my price range though. I believe when it sold in one of Eric Newmans sales recently it went for five figures.

 

The difference is that the Gov’ment has never tried to confiscate the 1913 V nickels but has confiscated 1933 double eagles ever since it learned some were in private hands. This started in the 1930’s or 1940’s. The Langbord coins weren’t the first by any means; just the most recent.

If one wants to hold that all coins not authorized to be struck or released should go back to the government, then hundreds of pattern types comprising thousands of coins should go back. Ditto for many error coins as well.

Cal

 

Shhh the government did that at one time. Decided that anything not conforming to the specifications set forth in the Coinage act of 1873 were not properly issued coins and subject to confiscation and they actually did go after a couple of collections of error coins. That was decades ago though.

 

I would if you subtracted the money out of the equation. Tell me I can have one but never sell it, and I would not want it. I have no interest in owning stolen government property, and do not consider them legitimate coins. I could give a darn about notoriety of my name. As long as family and friends remember me that is all that counts.

Now, if you give it to me and I can sell it of course I would take it. Take it and sell it to buy real coins in a heartbeat. Heck, I might buy a nice BU set of 1883-1912 nickels.

 

Problem is, it is proven a great many errors legitimately left the mint. Same with patterns, the mint used to sell them. So those two areas you have difficulty proving that particular one was acquired illegally. 1933 double eagles are proven to have never legally left the mint.

The 1933 eagles had just a few leave legally. I bet most in collections left the mint illegally, but if a few are legal how do you prove which are which? That is why they leave the eagles alone, along with errors and most patterns.

 

Huh, I guess I'm the exception. Never wanted one, and if it was given to me it would be in the next auction from an anonymous seller. Then I could actually buy a coin or coins I wanted.

 

Interesting takes. I mean im not a fan of liberty nickels by any means. But I do like owning things that shouldnt exist.