V nickel value explained: Liberty Head nickels contain no silver, 1883 No Cents vs With Cents, the 1912-S key date, and the 1913 rarity.
What Is a V Nickel?
A V nickel is the popular name for the Liberty Head five-cent coin the U.S. Mint struck from 1883 through 1912. Collectors also call it the Liberty Head nickel; both names are the same coin. The large Roman numeral V on the reverse — five, in Roman numerals — is what people notice first in a jar or an inherited box. The series replaced the Shield nickel in 1883 and was replaced in 1913 by the Buffalo nickel, officially the Indian Head nickel. The buffalo nickel value guide covers that successor design.
Charles E. Barber designed the coin. Liberty faces left on the obverse, wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with thirteen stars around the rim and the date below. The reverse places a large V inside a wreath. Early 1883 coins omitted the word CENTS beneath that numeral; later 1883 coins and every year after added CENTS below the V. The piece measures 21.2 millimeters, weighs five grams, and has a plain edge. The alloy is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel — no silver.
Almost the entire series was struck at Philadelphia and carries no mint mark. Branch-mint coins appear only in 1912: a D for Denver and an S for San Francisco, both on the reverse to the left of CENTS, near the rim. Most dates are common when worn. The two 1883 reverse types, the 1912-S, and the famous 1913 Liberty Head account for nearly all of the collector interest. Dateless or barely dated common pieces have little value above face.
Are V Nickels Silver?
No. A V nickel contains no silver and no precious metal. The alloy is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel — the same copper-nickel composition used in United States five-cent coins for most of the denomination’s history. That is why the coin is called a nickel. Value in this series is entirely numismatic: date, mint mark, type, grade, and demand, not a melt floor.
Old dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars from the same era often do contain silver, so a worn silver dime still has metal value when the date is gone. That logic does not apply here. A worn common-date Liberty Head nickel is still copper-nickel. The planchet is not a store of precious metal, and it does not give the piece a meaningful melt price.
The nickels that do contain silver are a different series. Wartime Jefferson nickels struck from mid-1942 through 1945 used copper, silver, and manganese so nickel metal could go to the war effort. Those coins show a large mint mark above Monticello. They are not V nickels, and they were struck thirty years after this series ended. If you are sorting mixed old nickels and want the silver ones, the war nickel value guide explains how to identify them. Because there is no silver floor, identity and condition do all of the work.
1883 No Cents, With Cents, and the Racketeer Nickel
The first year produced two reverse types, and collectors treat them as separate coins. The earliest 1883 Liberty Head nickels showed the large V inside the wreath and stopped there — no CENTS. Later in 1883 the Mint added CENTS below the numeral, and that corrected reverse ran through the rest of the series. Both types are common enough that most 1883 finds are ordinary first-year coins, not rarities. They are still cataloged separately, and the No Cents design is the coin tied to a well-known period scam.
Without the word CENTS, a gold-plated No Cents nickel could be passed as a five-dollar gold piece. The large V read as a five, the missing denomination left the metal ambiguous, and a plated surface made the fraud work in ordinary commerce. Those pieces are remembered as racketeer nickels. Some also had a reeded edge added, because genuine gold coins of the era were reeded and a Liberty Head nickel leaves the Mint with a plain edge. The Mint added CENTS later in 1883 to stop that confusion.
A gold-plated 1883 No Cents nickel is still a copper-nickel five-cent coin underneath. Plating does not turn it into gold. Many plated examples survive as historical novelties — some from the 1880s fraud, others plated later as souvenirs. Original, unplated coins are what type collectors want. To tell the types apart, look under the V: wreath and numeral alone is No Cents; CENTS below the V is With Cents. An 1883 date by itself is not enough.
Where to Find the Mint Mark
On a Liberty Head nickel the mint mark, when there is one, sits on the reverse to the left of CENTS, close to the rim. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. That is normal for most of the series, because Philadelphia struck the overwhelming majority of V nickels from 1883 through 1912. A missing letter is not a variety. It means the coin is a Philadelphia issue.
Branch-mint marks appear only on 1912 coins. A D identifies Denver; an S identifies San Francisco. Those are the only two mint-marked circulation issues in the series. If the date is anything other than 1912, you will not find a D or an S. If the date is 1912, that small letter is the first thing to check. It is the difference between a common last-year Philadelphia coin and one of the two dates collectors search for.
Wear and old cleaning can hide a mint mark. Use good light and a loupe, and look at the field left of CENTS. Do not scrape the area. A faint S on a 1912 reverse is worth protecting. The series is simple: no mark for Philadelphia, D or S only in 1912, and nothing else.
Key Dates: 1912-S and 1912-D
The 1912-S is the realistic key date. San Francisco struck 238,000 pieces — the lowest regular mintage of the design — and those coins entered circulation. Survivors exist in worn grades, which is why this is the key date people can actually find in a jar, a roll, or an inherited mix. It is scarce next to the common Philadelphia dates, and it is the coin a dealer looks for first. It is not in the same category as the 1913 Liberty Head. It is a collectible circulation issue with a documented low mintage.
The 1912-D is the first nickel struck at Denver and the only Denver issue in the series. It is not as scarce as the 1912-S, but it is scarcer than the common Philadelphia dates that make up most finds. Collectors assembling a date-and-mint set need both 1912 branch-mint coins, so a problem-free 1912-D still belongs out of the mixed pile. A worn 1912 Philadelphia coin is a last-year type piece and should be treated like other common dates.
Grade and original surfaces matter more on these two coins than on a typical 1900s Philadelphia nickel. Heavy wear, porosity, scratches, and old cleanings are common. A 1912-S with a readable date and mint mark is still a key date, but collectors pay for sharpness and honest color. When you sort a group, read every date, set every 1912 aside and check for a D or an S, then separate the 1883 coins by reverse type.
The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel
Five 1913 Liberty Head nickels are known. They are not a circulation issue. The Mint had already moved on to the Buffalo nickel in 1913, and these five pieces are unauthorized proofs that surfaced later and became one of the most famous rarities in American coinage. They belong with museum coins and long-documented pedigrees. They are not a realistic jar find, roll find, or attic surprise.
If someone thinks they have a 1913 V nickel, the coin in hand is almost always a 1913 Buffalo nickel. That is the first year of the successor design, it was struck in large numbers, and it is a coin people actually inherit. A 1913 Buffalo has a Native American portrait and a bison. A Liberty Head nickel has Barber’s Liberty and the large V. The two coins do not look alike side by side. The confusion comes from the shared year and denomination, not from the design.
Altered coins exist as well. Dates can be recut, and later Liberty Head nickels can be made to read 1913. Those pieces fail under magnification and against the five documented originals. If a coin is being presented as a 1913 Liberty Head, it needs an in-person look and a path to PCGS or NGC certification. Lone Star Coins will sort 1883 types, pull a 1912-S from a mixed jar, and tell you immediately if a supposed 1913 V nickel is the Buffalo type instead.
Selling V Nickels
If you have Liberty Head nickels and want a straight answer, bring them in. The distinctions that matter — 1883 reverse type, a 1912 mint mark, original versus cleaned surfaces, and whether a 1913 coin is a Buffalo rather than a Liberty Head — are faster in hand than from a phone picture. Lone Star Coins authenticates Liberty Head nickels in person at 2622 NW Loop 410 in San Antonio. Walk-in appraisals are free, no appointment is required, and the staff will tell you what you have before anyone talks about a purchase.
For an inherited mix, a short first pass is enough. Separate the nickels that show a large V from Jefferson nickels and Buffalo nickels. Read every date you can. Pull the 1883 coins and check for CENTS under the V. Pull every 1912 and look left of CENTS for a D or an S. Set aside anything unusually sharp or anything already called a 1913 rarity. Common worn dates can stay in the leftover pile.
When a coin is a true key date, a high-grade type coin, or a piece offered as a 1913 Liberty Head, professional grading becomes part of the conversation. Lone Star Coins is a PCGS and NGC Authorized Dealer and buys raw and certified coins. The page on we buy rare and graded coins explains that process, including same-day payment. The coin grading scale guide walks through circulated and mint-state grades in plain terms. free coin appraisals in San Antonio are available at the showroom on NW Loop 410. Bring the coins as you found them — do not clean them or try to restore a worn date.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a v nickel worth?+
A V nickel’s worth depends on date, mint mark, 1883 reverse type, and condition — not on silver, because the coin contains none. Worn common Philadelphia dates have little value above face. The 1883 No Cents and With Cents types are collected as first-year varieties. The 1912-S, with a mintage of 238,000, is the key date people actually find. The 1913 Liberty Head is a five-piece rarity, not a realistic discovery. Lone Star Coins offers free in-store appraisals in San Antonio if you want a specific coin identified.
Are v nickels silver?+
No. V nickels are 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel and contain no silver. Their value is entirely numismatic. The only circulating United States nickels that contain silver are the wartime Jefferson nickels of 1942 through 1945, which are a later series with a large mint mark above Monticello. A Liberty Head nickel will never be one of those coins.
What does the v stand for on a nickel?+
The V is a Roman numeral for five and marks the coin as a five-cent piece. That large numeral on the reverse is why the Liberty Head nickel is popularly called a V nickel. On 1883 No Cents coins the V appears without the word CENTS beneath it; later 1883 coins and all following years added CENTS below the numeral so the denomination could not be mistaken.
What is an 1883 no cents nickel?+
An 1883 No Cents nickel is the first Liberty Head five-cent reverse: a large V inside a wreath with no CENTS below it. The Mint added the word CENTS later in 1883, creating a second first-year type. Both types are collectible, and you tell them apart by looking under the V. The No Cents design is also the coin that was gold-plated and passed as a five-dollar gold piece in the racketeer-nickel scam.
What is a racketeer nickel?+
A racketeer nickel is an 1883 No Cents Liberty Head nickel that was gold-plated — and sometimes given a reeded edge — so it could be passed as a five-dollar gold coin. The missing word CENTS made the fraud possible. Underneath the plating it is still a copper-nickel five-cent piece, not gold. The Mint added CENTS later in 1883 to stop the confusion.
How many 1913 liberty head nickels exist?+
Five 1913 Liberty Head nickels are known. They are unauthorized proofs, not a circulation issue, and they are not a realistic jar or collection find. People who believe they have one almost always have a 1913 Buffalo nickel instead — the first-year Indian Head nickel that actually replaced the V nickel. If a coin is being presented as a 1913 Liberty Head, it needs in-person authentication.
Where can I sell v nickels in San Antonio?+
Lone Star Coins, at 2622 NW Loop 410 in San Antonio, buys Liberty Head nickels ranging from common circulated dates to key 1912-S coins and certified pieces. Walk-in appraisals are free, no appointment is needed, and the staff will sort 1883 types, check 1912 mint marks, and tell you if a supposed 1913 V nickel is the Buffalo type. Same-day payment is available, and sellers outside the area can ship nationwide.