1883 V-Nickel

The 1883 V-Nickel was first introduced without the word CENTS on the reverse. Of course this caused major confusion. The initial design used only a large Roman numeral “V” on the reverse, which led some examples to be gold plated and passed off as $5 pieces. The 1883 V-Nickel (with CENTS) was was quickly prepared and put into production adding the word CENTS to the reverse. Today both reverses of the 1883 V-Nickel are priced differently and both are needed to complete a collection.

The 1883 V-Nickel was minted with a new design. The obverse detailed Liberty wearing a crown with agricultural elements intertwined with her hair. Thirteen stars surround the image with the date below. On the reverse, the denomination is indicated by a large Roman numeral “V” surrounded by an agricultural wreath and inscriptions.

The 1883 V-Nickel had a high mint for circulation, almost tripling the mintage of the ‘without CENTS’ variety. With that said, the “with (CENTS)” variety is the more in demand for today’s collectors. This is due to the public saving the initial variety while latter variety coins were not saved to this degree.

Grading the 1883 V-Nickel

When a collector declares a desire to attain a coin as old as the 1883 V-Nickel, it goes without saying that person wants to find a coin that is in top shape. This is not a simple task, and is one of the main reasons collectors first and foremost, assess the overall condition of the coin in question.

The process of judging the condition of a coin is known as grading and is something that is completed by a professional coin grading company. Though you may not have the time and money to send your coin away for grading, you can use the specifications below to gain a better idea of the qualities coins of specific grades will have.

Uncirculated: An Uncirculated 1883 V-Nickel is one that was placed into a safe spot shortly after it was produced. Since these coins never spent time on the open market exchanging hands, they do not show the signs of wear you will find present on most V-Nickels. Rather, what you will find is a coin that has been so well-preserved that even the mint’s original luster remains intact, giving the coin a nice shine.

Extremely Fine: To be given this grade, the coin in question will have spent only a short period of time being circulated. Not much damage will appear while the coin is viewed with the naked eye, but upon closer inspection you will see that some light scratching has occurred. At the end of the day, however, these coins are in extremely great condition.

Fine: This is the grade given to 1883 V-Nickels that spent a decent amount of time exchanging hands. At this point the coin has lost most of the finer detail of the design. Even wear covering the entire coin gives a flatness to the appearance. Although major designs are still separated such as leaves on the Shield nickel and some of the hair detail on Liberty.

Good: Good is the grade given to coins that have been circulated more than any other. These coins will show heavy damage that can include anything from scratching to chipping and some occasions even bending. Despite their condition, these coins are a prize for collectors to get their hands on.

Pricing the 1883 V-Nickel

When it comes to giving the 1883 V-Nickel a price, this will depend on the condition the coin is in. Condition is everything for collectors, so you can expect that this is one of the biggest factors affecting the price you pay for a coin. Since collectors are eager to attain those coins that are in excellent condition, they will naturally pay more for those coins than the coins that are in sub-par condition. The chart below will give you a decent idea of what you can expect to pay for a 1883 V-Nickel given its condition.

V-Nickels

DATE	GOOD	FINE	EXTREMELY FINE	UNCIRCULATED
1883 V Nickel	$7	$9	$15	$18
1883 V Nickel (with CENTS)	$20	$35	$85	$120
Source: Red Book