1913 Liberty Head Nickels?

[chirper97]

From http://link.blanchardgold.com/m/1/4...4b/2/580/13615d8c-bacc-4c36-82a9-eb79163f433f

"A Tale From the Vault “Mint employee goes rogue.” You’d think it would make the headlines, but it didn’t, not at the time. Here’s the story.

1913 Liberty Head Nickels are so rare that even the U.S. Mint doesn’t know where they came from. They never authorized the piece. Despite this fact, a few of these coveted coins exist. In 2010, one sold for $3.7 million. So where did this mysterious coin come from?

Between 1883 and 1912, the U.S. Mint issued the Liberty Head Nickel. Eventually, the mint decided on a new design: the Indian Head Nickel. They were to be the first official nickels of 1913. As a result, the official records of the U.S. Mint show no indication of any 1913 Liberty Head Nickels.

Then came Samuel Brown.

He had five 1913 Liberty Head Nickels in his possession. No one knew how he found them. Then people started looking into his past. They learned that in 1913, Brown was an employee of the U.S. Mint. His position gave him access to the minting process. Many concluded that he struck these unauthorized pieces. He may have worked with others at the mint to accomplish this, but the details are unclear.

In 1924, Brown sold all five nickels, the finest of which is known as the Eliasberg specimen and which sold for $5 million in 2007. Despite this enormous sum, the Olsen specimen is the most famous of the five. King Farouk of Egypt once owned this piece. As with the Eliasberg specimen, the price has soared with each transaction, and in 2004 it sold for $3 million.

Another piece, the Walton specimen, sat for 40 years in a closet. The coin was returned to the collector’s family after the owner died in a car crash. He was en route to a coin show and was prepared to exhibit the rare piece. After officials sorted through the wreckage, which consisted of more than $250,000 in rare coins, they incorrectly determined that the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was not genuine. For this reason, the family put it in a box in a closet and forgot about it. Later, the family learned of a coin show exhibiting the other four pieces. They also learned of a well-publicized effort to find the long-lost fifth piece. The coin then sold at auction for over $3 million.

Holy Toledo, as they say in Toledo. "

The Eliasberg Liberty Head nickel sold in 2018 for $4.5 million.

http://fortune.com/2018/08/16/eliasberg-1913-liberty-head-nickel-sale/

 

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[BC1969]

Great read!
Thanks for sharing this.

BC

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Thank you for sharing!

 

[cudamark]

It seems to me that one they should have been talking to was the die maker, unless it was also Samuel Brown. Someone had to produce the obverse die with the 1913 date.

 

[dejapooh]

View attachment 1691117 From http://link.blanchardgold.com/m/1/4...4b/2/580/13615d8c-bacc-4c36-82a9-eb79163f433f

"A Tale From the Vault “Mint employee goes rogue.” You’d think it would make the headlines, but it didn’t, not at the time. Here’s the story.

1913 Liberty Head Nickels are so rare that even the U.S. Mint doesn’t know where they came from. They never authorized the piece. Despite this fact, a few of these coveted coins exist. In 2010, one sold for $3.7 million. So where did this mysterious coin come from?

Between 1883 and 1912, the U.S. Mint issued the Liberty Head Nickel. Eventually, the mint decided on a new design: the Indian Head Nickel. They were to be the first official nickels of 1913. As a result, the official records of the U.S. Mint show no indication of any 1913 Liberty Head Nickels.

Then came Samuel Brown.

He had five 1913 Liberty Head Nickels in his possession. No one knew how he found them. Then people started looking into his past. They learned that in 1913, Brown was an employee of the U.S. Mint. His position gave him access to the minting process. Many concluded that he struck these unauthorized pieces. He may have worked with others at the mint to accomplish this, but the details are unclear.

In 1924, Brown sold all five nickels, the finest of which is known as the Eliasberg specimen and which sold for $5 million in 2007. Despite this enormous sum, the Olsen specimen is the most famous of the five. King Farouk of Egypt once owned this piece. As with the Eliasberg specimen, the price has soared with each transaction, and in 2004 it sold for $3 million.

Another piece, the Walton specimen, sat for 40 years in a closet. The coin was returned to the collector’s family after the owner died in a car crash. He was en route to a coin show and was prepared to exhibit the rare piece. After officials sorted through the wreckage, which consisted of more than $250,000 in rare coins, they incorrectly determined that the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was not genuine. For this reason, the family put it in a box in a closet and forgot about it. Later, the family learned of a coin show exhibiting the other four pieces. They also learned of a well-publicized effort to find the long-lost fifth piece. The coin then sold at auction for over $3 million.

Holy Toledo, as they say in Toledo. "

The Eliasberg Liberty Head nickel sold in 2018 for $4.5 million.

http://fortune.com/2018/08/16/eliasberg-1913-liberty-head-nickel-sale/

There was a TV show, I think it was "Strange Inheritance" on this coin. Very cool show.

 

[A2coins]

Great to know what to look for lol