1885 Liberty Nickel

The 1885 Liberty Nickel is the lowest mintage of the series except for the later 1912-S. The 1885 is generally considered to be the key date of the Liberty Nickel series. The mintage for circulation strikes was 1,472,700.

Examples of the coin are expensive across all grades, even lower circulated grades. The 1885 Liberty Nickel is especially rare in gem and higher grades, often bringing strong prices. Unlike the 1883 "without cents" and to an extent the 1912-S issues, people did not set aside these pieces, and thus the coins circulated freely.

The 1885 Proof Liberty Nickel also carries a premium above other proof years even though the mintage was relatively high. The reason is that some people will obtain a proof coin, as an affordable alternative to a mint state circulation strike for their collections. This keeps demand higher for this proof issue, as compared to other years.