This is the Finest 1886 Liberty Head Nickel You Will Ever See

Hi there, this is Charles Morgan, Editor of CoinWeek. Today, let's explore the 1886 Liberty Head Nickel, a key date in the V Nickel series minted from 1883 to 1912. Let's leave discussions of the illicit 1913 nickel for another day. Designed by Charles E. Barber, the Liberty or V nickel features Liberty on the obverse with a coronet and stars, and a Roman "V" encircled by a wreath on the reverse. This use of Roman numerals would not have been unusual when the coin was first released in 1883, as the 3-cent silver and nickel coins, which were introduced decades before, also used the motif. The 1885 and 1886 issues are the toughest dates in the series as they were struck during the tail end of the economic depression of 1882-1885. This was the deepest depression that the United States would experience from the end of the Civil War until the Great Depression in the 1930s, and Americans across all walks of life felt it. A banking panic in 1884 is mainly responsible for the decline in mintage in 1885 and 1886. Minting was suspended in March 1885 and resumed only in the last quarter of 1886, resulting in a low mintage of approximately 3.3 million pieces. Compared to the scarcer 1885, which has a mintage of just 1.47 million, the 1886 is more available in circulated grades but still a key date. In Gem or better grades, the 1886 outshines the 1885 in terms of scarcity. That's what makes the coin you are looking at so special. In March 2023, this specimen graded NGC MS67 and sold at Stack's Bowers Auctions for $21,600. At the time, it was just one of four graded at that level by any service. After the sale, the coin crossed to PCGS at MS67 and was sold again at Stack's Bowers for $27,600 at a November 2023 sale. Legend Rare Coin Auctions had twice sold a lightly toned PCGS MS67 of this date for around $60,000 in 2018 and 2019. The disparity in the two price points indicates very thin competition at this elite level, which is why elite collectors need professional representation when buying at the top end. For those of us who are not billionaires, A decent AU will set you back about $1,000, and a nice Choice Uncirculated coin will cost about $2,000. Get past this and the 1885, and you will have no problem building a set of V Nickels.