SYMBOLS

Liberty Head V Nickel with No Cents

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Liberty Head V Nickel with No Cents front
Liberty Head V Nickel with No Cents back
  • This coin was first issued in 1883. The reverse originally showed a large Roman numeral V (five) encircled by a wreath of corn, cotton, and wheat.
  • The first coins issued were missing the word "cents."
  • Fraudsters soon realized they could spend gold-plated versions of these five-cent coins with store owners who unknowingly accepted them as five-dollar gold pieces. Once the fraud was uncovered later in 1883, the word "cents" was added to the reverse.
  • Charles E. Barber designed the coin, basing the Liberty head on a Greco-Roman marble sculpture. Liberty wears a crown bearing the word "Liberty" and is surrounded by 13 stars representing the 13 original colonies.