In the world of rare coins, few names provoke the kind of awe and disbelief that the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel does. It’s a coin that wasn’t supposed to be struck. A relic that defies logic, rules, and timelines. And yet—against every official record, against the documented orders of the United States Mint—five of them were made. Today, each one is worth millions of dollars, and every collector who dares to dream of greatness knows this nickel by name.
This isn’t just a coin. It’s a mystery that outlived its maker. A rebellion in metal. A whisper from a forgotten era when the bold could bend reality and create legacy from silence. The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel shouldn’t exist—but it does. And that paradox is exactly what makes it one of the most fascinating stories in all of American numismatics.
The End of the Liberty Head… Or So They Thought
In 1912, the U.S. Mint officially retired the Liberty Head design, which had appeared on nickels since 1883. In its place, the Buffalo Nickel was set to take over in 1913—a modern, bold reimagining of American coinage, featuring a Native American profile and a bison on the reverse. Production plans were set. Dies were switched. The Mint was ready to close the chapter on Liberty.
And that’s what makes the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel such an enigma.
There were no records authorizing the coin’s production in 1913. Officially, none were supposed to exist. The design had been phased out. The Mint had moved on. But sometime during the transition, under mysterious circumstances, five Liberty Head nickels were quietly struck. No one knows exactly when, how, or why. And the man at the center of it all—Samuel W. Brown, a former Mint employee—never gave up the truth.
The Mystery of Samuel Brown and the Secret Five
Samuel Brown left the Mint in 1913 and almost immediately began advertising for 1913 Liberty Head Nickels, offering to pay top dollar if anyone had one. It was an odd move—why would anyone place an ad for a coin that didn’t officially exist?
Then, five years later, Brown appeared at the 1920 American Numismatic Association convention, proudly displaying not one—but all five known 1913 Liberty Head nickels in a custom case.
The numismatic world was stunned.
No one knew where they came from. No one knew who minted them. And Brown wasn’t saying a word. Whether he struck them himself while still employed at the Mint, or acquired them through private channels, remains a mystery. But what became crystal clear was this: these coins were real. And they were about to become legends.
A Timeline of Obsession
Over the following decades, the 1913 Liberty Head nickels changed hands, each sale elevating the mystique and the value of the coins. Ownership passed through the hands of royalty, millionaires, and even Hollywood actors. One was owned by King Farouk of Egypt. Another by Colonel E.H.R. Green, the eccentric son of America’s richest woman. And in 1978, a specimen became a movie star when it appeared in the classic film The Odd Couple II, briefly stealing the scene just by existing.
Each coin has taken on a personality of its own. Today, they are known by nicknames like the Eliasberg specimen, the Olsen specimen, and the Walton specimen, named after previous owners. All five are accounted for, and each one carries a price tag well into the millions.
Let’s break down the known details of these five mythic nickels:
| Nickname | Condition | Current Owner/Location | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eliasberg | Proof-66 | Private Collection | $5M – $6M+ |
| Olsen | Proof-64 | Private Collector (once owned by King Farouk) | $4M – $5M |
| Walton | Proof-63 | Walton Family Collection | $3.5M – $4.5M+ |
| Norweb | Proof-64 | Smithsonian Institution (Not for sale) | Priceless |
| McDermott | Proof-55 (circulated) | American Numismatic Association Museum | Priceless |
When a Nickel Is Worth More Than a Mansion
The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is more than just rare—it’s iconic. In an age where digital currency and inflation often make small denominations feel irrelevant, this coin flips that narrative entirely. It’s a five-cent piece worth more than beachfront homes, sports cars, or trust funds.
Why?
Because it breaks all the rules. It’s a mistake wrapped in mystery. A whisper in the archives. And collectors are drawn to that kind of anomaly the way astronomers chase comets. It’s about more than rarity—it’s about defiance, legacy, and curiosity. The 1913 nickel wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did—and it became a challenge to everything we assume about official history.
The Rediscovery That Shocked the World
One of the most emotional chapters in this coin’s story unfolded in 2003, when the Walton specimen—long believed lost—resurfaced. Its owner, George Walton, had died in a car crash in 1962. The coin was believed to have been destroyed in the wreck, and experts had assumed it was gone forever. But decades later, Walton’s heirs found a strange coin in a box, tucked away in an envelope labeled “Liberty Nickel.” They brought it to experts, and after exhaustive examination, it was authenticated as the missing fifth 1913 specimen.
The coin had survived. Forgotten in a closet. Protected not by guards or vaults, but by luck and a family’s love for legacy.
That rediscovery sent ripples through the numismatic world—and served as a reminder that history has a way of finding its way back.
What Makes This Coin So Magnetic?
There are rare coins. There are valuable coins. But the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel hits on a deeper frequency. Its power lies not just in scarcity, but in contradiction. It isn’t supposed to exist. And yet it does. It’s the symbol of what happens when someone dares to bend reality—whether by mistake, mischief, or sheer genius.
Each of the five coins carries with it the fingerprint of mystery. They are not mass-produced artifacts. They are singular, intimate, and alive with story. That’s what collectors pay for—the romance, the legend, the thrill of the impossible made real.
Final Thought
The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel reminds us of something profound: value isn’t always about utility or metal content. Sometimes, it’s about story. Sometimes, it’s about what shouldn’t be—but still is. This tiny coin has defied governments, archives, and expectations. It has crossed oceans, passed through kings’ hands, and reappeared after decades like a ghost with something to prove.
In a world that prizes authenticity and authority, the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is a rebellion carved in nickel and copper. And in that defiance lies its brilliance.
