1909 Nickel Value Guide: Liberty Head & V Nickel Prices

Overview of the 1909 Liberty Head (V) Nickel

The 1909 Liberty Head nickel value was designed by the Mint's chief engraver, Charles Barber. And this instance became a replacement for the Shield Nickel coins. These copies were minted between 1883 and 1913.

Despite the fact that the next issue began only in 1913, 1909 marks the last year of production of this copy. Since 1912-1913, the batches were minted too small.

“In 1909, consideration was given to the replacement of the Liberty Head nickel by a new design. In an attempt to modernize the coinage, the cent and the gold pieces had been redesigned. Prominent artists from outside the Mint had been contracted to provide the designs of the new coins, much to Barber's disgruntlement.”
– unnamed page about Liberty Head nickel
Wikipedia website

That is why in 1909, the Minting took place in Philadelphia, and because of this, the mint mark is missing on the copies. And in 1913, the replacement for this was the Buffalo Indian Head Nickel coins.

Composition	75% copper and 25% nickel
Diameter	21.2mm
Weight	5 grams
Circulation	11,580,000

Design

The obverse features a portrait of Liberty, surrounded by 13 stars that symbolise the original colonies.

On the reverse is the Roman numeral V, which stands for the face value of 5 cents, and it is surrounded by a laurel wreath.

1909 Liberty Head V NICKEL 5 CENTS Five CENT COIN

How Much Is a 1909 Nickel Worth?

To correctly determine the 1909 Liberty nickel value, you need to consider many factors. One of the most important for this model is the Grade. It is calculated on a coin scale from 1 to 70.

Good: Heavy wear and tear, the design details are blurred, but the main elements are legible.
Very Good: The main design elements are visible, but badly worn.
Fine: Moderate wear. The main contours of the hair are clearly distinguishable. The wreath on the reverse is clearly visible.
Very Fine: The wear is noticeable, but the details remain clear. There are many details of Freedom's hair and wreath.
Extremely Fine: Easy wear on the highest terrain points. Most of the original luster has been preserved. All the details are clear.
About Uncirculated: An almost uncirculated coin, with minor traces of friction at high points. Most of the coin's luster has been preserved.
Uncirculated: Uncirculated specimen, with no visible signs of wear. There may be small contact marks or a lack of full gloss.
Gem Uncirculated: Excellent uncirculated specimen with full gloss, minimal contact marks, and excellent detail.

1909 V Nickel Value by Condition

Grade	Value	Census
VF	$30	4
XF	$50	4
50	$65−$70	1
53	$75−$80	5
55	$80−$90	9
58	$95−$100	45
60	$110−$115	1
61	$120−$125	25
62	$135−$145	60
63	$185−$210	107
64	$275−$350	153
65	$625−$800	57
66	$1300−$3500	12
67	$9000	1

Thus, the most Valuable instance turned out to be with a grade of 67. And as we can see, the higher the grade and the fewer registered copies with this grade, the higher the price will be.

But this does not apply to lower grades, as their quality is still poor, so even if very few of them are registered, they will still not be as valuable.

1893 Liberty V-Nickel 5C Five Cent Coin Off Center Mint Error

1909 Liberty Head Nickel Errors

In fact, the 1909 V Nickel Error will sometimes cost more than the highest grade. Yes, it really can be. But here you need to take into account several factors and see what kind of mistake was made.

Double Die

Like, for example, Double Die. This is one of the most common mistakes, and despite its popularity, it is one of the most significant. This error occurs when the stamp hits the workpiece several times. As a result, some design elements are duplicated, and such a small shadow is created.

However, if you don't know much about errors but really want to find a valuable copy, then we recommend using the Coin ID Scanner app.

This is a real professional tool that can identify not just a coin, but actually find any errors on it. The service uses the latest artificial intelligence technologies and ensures accuracy and plausibility.

Off-center Strike

This is when the workpiece is poorly fixed, and as a result, the stamp impact is displaced. Part of the design is missing or with some interesting defects.

Clipped Planchet

This is one of the most interesting mistakes. It looks like someone took a bite out of a coin, but it's so smooth and semicircular.

1909 Liberty Head V Nickel 5 Cent Piece- VF/XF Details

Difference Between 1909 Liberty and Buffalo Nickels

The most important difference here is that the Buffalo nickel has been minted since 1913. That is, the 1909 Buffalo nickel value will be very low, as it is most likely a fake.

Design Differences

Type	Liberty Head Nickel	Buffalo Nickel Indian Head
Obverse	A Lady Liberty's head in a crown	Profile of an Indian chief
Reverse	A large Roman numeral "V" in the center of the wreath	Profile of the American Buffalo bison

Reason

Sometimes it seems to some novice numismatists that all the unique for the 20th century were Buffalo. However, this is not the case. They have been Buffalo only since 1913.

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