1913 Nickel Worth Millions Heads To Auction

How much is a 1913 nickel worth? About $5 million according to the appraisers at Heritage Auctions.

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel that will hit the auction block in April is one of only five known to exist. The coin has such a high value because of its rarity, but also because of its incredible back story.

According to Yahoo News, the coin was cast illegally in 1913. The United States had officially switched to the Buffalo Nickel but Samuel Brown created five more coins with the Liberty Head design at the Philadelphia Mint.

Brown put the coins up for sale in 1920 and by 1942 the set of five coins was broken up. One of the coins was bought by George Walton for $3,750. Walton had the coin with him when he died in a car crash in 1962. The coin was recovered at the scene by his sister who later tried to sell the coin.

Walton’s sister was told that the coin was a fake, however, and stuck it in an envelope in her cupboard. The coin remained there for over 30 years until it was rediscovered by Walton’s family.

The coin was brought back in front of appraisers and this time the Walton’s were told that the 1913 nickel was worth millions.

Colorado museum curator Douglas Mudd told Sky News:

“Basically a coin with a story and a rarity will trump everything else … A lot of this is ego … I have one of these and nobody else does.”

Mudd said that a conservative estimate places the coin at about $2 million. Mudd believes that the coin will sell for $5 million or more. The record price for a coin is $8 million for a 1933 Double Eagle gold coin.

We’ll find out exactly how much the 1913 Nickel is worth when it heads to auction on April 25.