226

1883 Nickel 24 Karat Gold Plated (1883 racketeer nickel) and display case

Currency:CAD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:5.00 CAD Estimated At:NA
1883 Nickel  24 Karat Gold Plated (1883 racketeer nickel) and display case
Shipping to Canada and the US. If you are local and arrange for pick up shipping will not be charged. The total shipping costs will be calculated after the auction ends. Combined shipping will apply if the bidder wins more than one asset.
This coin is the seldom-seen 1883 No Cents Liberty Head Nickel. It is known as the Racketeer Nickel.

The 1883 Racketeer Nickel is one of Americas most legendary and scandalous coins. When the first Liberty Nickel was minted in 1883, the word Cents did not appear anywhere on the coin. Instead, there was a large V (Roman number 5) in the center of the reverse, within a wreath of cotton, corn, wheat, and tobacco. Unfortunately, the coin is almost identical in size to the $5 gold coin that circulated at the time. Con-men gold-plated the Liberty Head Nickels and passed them off as new $5 gold coins.

The U.S. Mint soon stopped the corruption by adding the word Cents to the design in 1883. Only about 25 percent of the first-year 1883 coins are the No Cents variety. The obverse of the Liberty Head Nickel features a portrait of Lady Liberty. The 13 stars surrounding the portrait represent the 13 original American states.

The total mintage of the 1883 No Cents coin was less than one days production of modern Nickels. Most coins were damaged or worn out in circulation, leaving few for todays collectors. Each coin is plated in 7 mils of pure 24 karat gold, just like the original scandalous Racketeer Nickels.