PCGS MS67
PCGS MS67
- PCGS #:
- 3874
- Designer:
- Charles E. Barber
- Edge:
- Plain
- Diameter:
- 21.20 millimeters
- Weight:
- 5.00 grams
- Mintage:
- 8,474,000
- Mint:
- Denver
- Metal:
- 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
- Auction Record:
- $41,125 • MS67 • 11-15-2018 • Legend Rare Coin Auctions
Major Varieties
- 1912-D 5C
Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More
| Survival Estimate | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 30,000 |
| 60 or Better | 2,000 |
| 65 or Better | 600 |
| Numismatic Rarity | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | R-2.7 |
| 60 or Better | R-4.6 |
| 65 or Better | R-5.8 |
| Relative Rarity By Type All Specs in this Type | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 7 / 32 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 19 / 32 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 22 / 32 TIE |
| Relative Rarity By Series All Specs in this Series | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 7 / 33 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 19 / 33 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 22 / 33 TIE |
Condition Census What Is This?
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#1 PCGS MS67
GreatCollections, August 27, 2023, Lot 1190747 - $20,250; "The Grand Cru Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Champagne patination. Toning spot above Star 3. Die crack throug Stars 1 to 4 and Stars 8 through 13 to the date. On the reverse, there is a thin crack above AMERICA. |
#1 PCGS MS67
Violet and gold iridescence. Die cracks along the stars and AMERICA. Curved mark under Liberty's lowest curl. |
|
#1 Est. MS67
As PCGS MS67 #08379012. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, November 15, 2018, Lot 73 - $41,125; Dell Loy Hansen. As CACG MS67 #173778144. Iridescent yellow-gold, blue, orange, and peach. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
As PCGS MS65 #3123432. Stack's Bowers, August 16, 2021, Lot 1307 - $2,400. Rattler. As PCGS MS66+ #45490370. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, July 28, 2022, Lot 115 - $13,512.50; Heritage Auctions, November 19, 2023, Lot 3341 - $9,600; Heritage Auctions, January 19, 2025, Lot 3957 - $8,100. "The GG V's Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Intensly toned in orange gold, peacock green, steel blue, and aubergine. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
As PCGS MS66 #16042774. As PCGS MS66+ #45490384. Stack's Bowers, June 18, 2024, Lot 3023 - $10,200. As PCGS MS66+ #49669703. As PCGS MS66+ #51076896. As PCGS MS66+ #51814714. As PCGS MS66+ #61414490. Multi-color patina dominated by gold and orange. Patches of orange spots appear in Liberty's hair under her ear and around Stars 8 and 9. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
|
#4 PCGS MS66+
Legend Rare Coin Auctions, December 3, 2020, Lot 43 - $3,407.50. Seagreen and blue toning with patches of orange along the centers. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
|
#4 PCGS MS66+
Stack's Bowers, August 22, 2018, Lot 593 - $6,600; Bruce Scherr; "The Scherr Family Collection," Heritage Auctions, April 26, 2020, Lot 3237 - $3,999.60. Intense apricot and powder-blue toning. A diagonal golden-orange streak is noted across the front of Liberty’s hair, providing a distinct focal point to the obverse. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Stack's Bowers, August 20, 2019, Lot 5137 - $8,400. Intensely toned. Band of bright gold, orange, and violet toning adorn the left edge of Liberty's portrait. Die chip and a small horizontal tick within the V. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
As PCGS MS66+ #81414389. Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2017, Lot 3543 - $12,337.50. As PCGS MS66+ #34231448. "The Jesh Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Champagne patination. Full radials. Full wreath. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
As NGC MS67 #604571-012. Superior Galleries, June 2000, Lot 1246 - $6,037.50; "The Eugene H. Gardner Collection," Heritage Auctions, June 23, 2014, Lot 30161 - $14,100. As PCGS MS66+ #28574297. January 7, 2016, Lot 4775 - $9,987.50. As PCGS MS66+ #25607956. Stack's Bowers, November 3, 2016, Lot 2033 - $9,693.75. As PCGS MS66+ #37912721. As PCGS MS66+ #51056599. As PCGS MS66+ #56923931. Intensely toned, with vibrant ice-blue and violet hues dominating the upper portion of the obverse. A crescent band of gold, orange, and purple hugs the lower border, while a small vertical tick is noted to the left of Liberty’s forehead. The reverse echoes this palette, though the center is dappled in gold and orange, with the cooler tones framing the mid-to-upper peripheries. |
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#4 PCGS MS66+
Heritage Auctions, July 9, 2015, Lot 3046 - $15,275. Wispy toning in seaform green and gold. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
"The Club 33 Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Rose gold patination. Die crack along rightside Stars. Planchet flake above V. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Shimmering apricot and violet toning throughout. A minor diagonal mark is noted near the lower portion of Liberty’s neck, with pin-sized toning spots situated above Star 8 and the gap between Stars 5 and 6. A notable die crack traces an arc along the peripheries of Stars 8 through 13. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Peach toning with subtle hints of blue and purple. A thin diagonal mark is noted across the lower-left portion of the wreath. On the reverse, the 'V' exhibits a thin horizontal mark on its left arm, with a deeper diagonal mark situated at the top of the same limb. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Lustrous peach toning blends into shimmering orange toward the outer periphery. Deeper, dark patches of patination are noted at the base of the 'V' and along the right side of the ribbon. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Golden peach toning. Scattered flecks of darker toning on Liberty's portrait and above the V. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Shimmering iridescent peach-gold and violet toning throughout. Notable arced die cracks are visible along the lower-left stars and continuing through Stars 8 to 13. A single toning spot is situated above Star 3, while two tiny ticks conveniently 'bookmark' Liberty’s eye. |
#4 PCGS MS66+
Iridescent gold, peach, and violet patination. A localized toning spot is noted below the left tip of the bust truncation, while a dull, subtle mark resides beneath Liberty’s hair bun. |
The 1912-D Liberty Head Nickel
The year 1912 marked the only instance in the Liberty Head Nickel series where branch mints struck the denomination. When the series entered circulation in 1883, it was immediately mired in controversy (due to the "Racketeer Nickel" scandal), yet it continued through 1911 without a single example being struck outside of Philadelphia. As the Western economy expanded, an acute need for minor coinage prompted the Mint to reverse a policy dating back to the establishment of the first branch mints in 1838, which had previously restricted base-metal coinage to the main facility.
By 1912, the Liberty Head Nickel’s days were numbered. Mint leadership was already selecting a successor, eventually choosing sculptor James Earle Fraser. A prominent artist, Fraser was notable for his apprenticeship under Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his penchant for depicting Native American subjects. His "Buffalo Nickel" motif followed a lineage of indigenous-themed coinage: James B. Longacre’s Indian Cent (actually Liberty in a headdress), Saint-Gaudens’ Indian $10 gold piece, and Bela Lyon Pratt’s incuse, ultra-realistic Indian Quarter Eagles and Half Eagles.
These depictions were not isolated to coinage; they were a central fixture of the American Zeitgeist. Following the closing of the frontier, "Indian" designs became symbols of a romanticized American identity. The Hunkpapa Lakota chief Running Antelope graced the 1899 $5 Silver Certificate. Wooden "Cigar Store Indians" stood guard at tobacco shops, while Calumet Baking Powder used a chief's profile to symbolize purity. Native motifs appeared on everything from "snake oil" elixirs to "Indian Chic" fashion. Zane Grey and James Willard Schultz popularized the Western novel, and Wild West shows offered choreographed caricatures of tribal culture. In this light, Fraser’s nickel was a quintessential product of its era- a totem of 1910s nostalgia.
The new design’s debut was held until 1913, allowing the Liberty Head Nickel a final bow. While the San Francisco Mint did not begin striking the 1912-S Liberty Head Nickel (#3875) until December 24, the Denver Mint received orders much earlier. Following a month-long technical delay, the first 1912-D nickels were struck on February 5. This initial batch of 20,000 pieces was delivered under the supervision of the mint’s coiner, John Wells. Struck from the standard alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel, the Denver coins reportedly utilized copper sourced exclusively from Western mines. By February 23, they were appearing in Colorado circulation. By year’s end, Denver produced 8,474,000 pieces—roughly one-third of Philadelphia’s output, but far eclipsing the meager 238,000 struck in San Francisco.
Collecting the 1912-D Liberty Head Nickel
The 1912-D Liberty Head Nickel (#3874) is highly collectible in all grades and is seldom encountered in "junk" boxes due to the numismatic premium placed on even heavily worn examples. The PCGS Population Report clearly underreports the number of circulated survivors - as well as the true ratio of circulated to Mint State examples - because the economics of certification often discourage the grading of lower-tier pieces. Nevertheless, collectors are encouraged to choose PCGS-certified coins for their grading accuracy and authenticity guarantees, especially given the proliferation of "added mintmark" counterfeits.
In Mint State, the median grade of PCGS MS64 underscores the difficulty of finding uncirculated examples with full luster and strong strikes. On this issue, star radials are not always fully defined, and the lower-left portion of the wreath, specifically the corn ears, is frequently flatly struck. While auction listings often mention these weakly-struck areas, novice collectors may neglect to notice them.
The five-cent nickel’s copper-nickel alloy is particularly prone to toning. This process was often exacerbated by the long-term storage of well-preserved examples in Wayte Raymond albums or vintage coin boards. Consequently, fully original examples can frequently be found exhibiting intense gold, peach, peacock green, and even deep shades of violet and aubergine.
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