1883 Liberty Nickel “Without Cents”

The 1883 Liberty Nickel was the first year of issue for the Liberty Nickel series. Originally, the denomination of the coin was indicated only with the large Roman Numeral “V” on the reverse. Because the diameter of the nickel was nearly the same as the diameter of the $5 Gold piece, some of the nickels were gold plated and passed off as the larger denomination.

The problem would be corrected by moving the “E Pluribus Unum” motto to the upper portion of the coin and adding the word “CENTS” beneath the “V”. Speculators began to spread word that the nickels “without CENTS” would be recalled by the government. This led to widespread hoarding of the coins even though the recall never took place.

As a result of the large number of coins saved, uncirculated examples of the 1883 Liberty Nickel “without cents” are relatively common today. Many of them, however, exhibit weak strikes and cherry picking is advised to find a premium quality example in any grade.