A rare US nickel that has been owned over the years by the King of Egypt and a Los Angeles sports team owner, sold for $3,737,500 at a sale conducted January 7 by Heritage Auction Galleries at the Florida United Numismatics (FUN) Coin Show. The little coin with the big value is a 1913-dated Liberty Head nickel, one of only five known of that date and design.
“The winning bidder is a very advanced East Coast coin collector who was filling a hole in his collection with the addition of the 1913 Liberty nickel. The underbidder, who also wants to remain anonymous, is a business executive who has just reentered coin collecting circles,” said Greg Rohan, president of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.
“In the 1940s, this coin was in the collection of King Farouk of Egypt; in December 1973 it was featured in an episode of the popular TV series Hawaii Five-O , titled ‘The $100,000 Nickel.’ Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr Jerry Buss, paid $200,000 for the coin in 1978, and it has changed hands several times since then, crossing the million-dollar mark in 2003,” said Rohan.
The US Mint struck tens of millions of Liberty Head nickels from 1883 through 1912, but switched designs in 1913 to depict a Native American on the “head’s” side and a bison on the “tail’s” side.
Five nickels with the date 1913, but with the old design of Miss Liberty, were made secretly at the Philadelphia Mint and eventually sold to collectors.
One of the five 1913 Liberty nickels is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; another belongs to the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and the three others, including the coin just sold, are privately owned.
The price given includes a 15 percent buyer’s premium. For information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.
A complete review of the auction will appear in a future issue.
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