The Case Of The Deaf Mute & The “Racketeer” Nickel
Extremely Scarce and Hard To Find – The Extraordinary 1883 24-Karat Gold Plated “Racketeer” Nickel
Doing research for other gold coins, I stumbled across a story about a 24 karat gold plated coin. I found it so interesting that I wanted to share it here. I know that it isn’t a real gold coin, but please bear with me and hopefully enjoy this story.
The year is 1883 and one that will go down in the numismatic hall of fame. It was the last year for the Shield Nickel and the first year for the Liberty Head “V” Nickel. This particular nickel had two varieties. The first Liberty Head nickels that were minted had, on the obverse, Lady Liberty and the year. The reverse had “E Pluribus Unum” and “United States of America”, along with a large, Roman “V”, surrounded by a wreath. At the time, the Liberty Head five dollar gold coin was being minted as well, whose obverse bore a resemblance to the Liberty Head nickel. Both had a portrait of Lady Liberty, with her hair pulled back, and wearing a tiara with the word “Liberty” imprinted on it. The year of issue was below her image, with thirteen stars surrounding her.
If you put the nickel and the five dollar gold coin side by side, you can clearly see the differences in Lady Liberty’s hairstyle and tiara. However, there were big differences on the reverse, with the nickel having the large “V” in the middle and the five dollar gold coin having an eagle holding olive branches, arrows and the shield. Plus, the five dollar coin had a reeded edge. Finally, the diameter of both coins was very similar. The five dollar gold coin has a diameter of 21.65 millimeters and the Liberty nickel’s diameter is 21.2 millimeters.
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