1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 26,236,714 made
- Mintage
- 26,236,714 (includes proofs)
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.2 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 26 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel?
- On the reverse, to the left of CENTS. Only 1912-D and 1912-S have mint marks. No mint mark means Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1912 are scarcer?
- The 1913 at 5, the 1909 at 11,590,526, the 1908 at 22,686,177. So the 1912 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel coins were made?
- 26,236,714.
What to check on your 1912
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at LIBERTY on the coronet, the hair curls and the corn ears in the wreath. Full LIBERTY is a key threshold for Fine and better.
The story of the 1912
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 26,236,714 in 1912, from 40 million the year before. In 1913 the figure was 5.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1912-S (238,000) and 1912-D (8.5 million).
Across Philadelphia's 32 Liberty Head "V" Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1913 with 5 made. The 1912 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1910s it's 4th smallest of 6, between the 1912-D (8.5 million) and the 1910 (30 million).
Branch mint nickels and the five 1913 pieces (1912 to 1913)
In 1912 Denver and San Francisco struck nickels for the first time, with a small D or S mint mark to the left of CENTS on the reverse. Denver struck 8.5 million, but San Francisco made only 238,000, late in the year, making the 1912-S a key date. Philadelphia added another 26 million in 1912, so the P coin is common.
The Buffalo nickel replaced the Liberty Head in 1913. No Liberty Head nickels were officially struck that year. Five pieces dated 1913 surfaced in 1920 through Samuel Brown, a former Mint employee. They are among the most famous American rarities. Any other 1913 Liberty Head nickel is an alteration. The 1912-S is usually found in Very Good to Fine. Added mint marks on Philadelphia coins are a known fake.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1912
Denver and San Francisco struck nickels for the first time, the only branch-mint Liberty Head nickels. It was the last regular year of the design.
How to recognize it
Liberty faces left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with 13 stars around her and the date below. The reverse has a large Roman numeral V inside a wreath with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The word CENTS was added below the wreath partway through 1883. Mint marks, used only on the 1912-D and 1912-S, are on the reverse to the left of CENTS.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Liberty Head "V" Nickel (1883–1913) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 26,236,714 (includes proofs) |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Charles E. Barber |
Other 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 Liberty Head "V" Nickel | 26,236,714 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1912-D Liberty Head "V" Nickel | 8,474,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1912-S Liberty Head "V" Nickel | 238,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.