The V Nickel, also known as the Liberty Head Nickel, was minted from 1883 to 1912. It is called the V Nickel, because the original reverse design features a Roman numeral V to signify the denomination. The original design featured Liberty's head on the obverse, surrounded by 13 stars with the year at the bottom. The original reverse had the V surrounded by a wreath with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" across the top and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" across the bottom.
The original design caused major problems because the nickel very similar in size to the five dollar coin. Josh Tatum and other con-artists began gold plating the nickels and passing them off as five dollar coins. Due to this fradulent activity, the mint added "CENTS" to the bottom of the reverse in mid 1883.
The V Nickel was minted primarily in Philadelphia. Some Nickels were minted in San Francisco and Denver during 1912. These coins can be indentified by their S or D mint mark.
In an odd twist, after being replaced by the Indian Head design in early 1913, five V Nickels were minted without any cause for production. These coins were all in the possession of Samuel Brown, a mint employee, and it is assumed that he produced the coins for profit and snuck them out. These 5 coins are some of the most valuable every produced, with one selling for $3 million in 2003 and another selling for $4.15 million in 2005.
