Aside from a few years, the Liberty Nickel mintages occurred in relatively high numbers. Most of the Philadelphia Mint issues were struck with a mintage of 10 million or greater, with a few notable exceptions. The 1885 and 1886 issues with mintages of 1.4 million and 3.3. million are considered key dates.
The lowest mintage issue of the series is the 1912-S Liberty Nickel, although in most circulated grades, this issue is more frequently encountered than the higher mintage 1885 and 1886 issues. As the first five cent nickel struck at the San Francisco Mint, this issue was more likely to be saved from circulation.
Separate mintages are included for the 1883 nickels struck with or without the word CENTS on the reverse. When the series was first introduced, it lacked the indication of the denomination which led to some unscrupulous individuals gold plating the nickels and passing them off as $5 gold pieces.
The mintage figures for circulation strike Liberty Nickels are shown below for all years of the series.
| Date | Mintage |
| 1883 No CENTS | 5,474,300 |
| 1883 with CENTS | 16,026,200 |
| 1884 | 11,270,000 |
| 1885 | 1,473,300 |
| 1886 | 3,326,000 |
| 1887 | 15,260,692 |
| 1888 | 10,715,901 |
| 1889 | 15,878,025 |
| 1890 | 16,256,532 |
| 1891 | 16,832,000 |
| 1892 | 11,696,897 |
| 1893 | 13,368,000 |
| 1894 | 5,410,500 |
| 1895 | 9,977,822 |
| 1896 | 8,841,048 |
| 1897 | 20,426,797 |
| 1898 | 12,530,292 |
| 1899 | 26,027,000 |
| 1900 | 27,253,733 |
| 1901 | 26,478,228 |
| 1902 | 31,487,581 |
| 1903 | 28,004,930 |
| 1904 | 21,403,167 |
| 1905 | 29,825,124 |
| 1906 | 38,612,000 |
| 1907 | 39,213,325 |
| 1908 | 22,684,557 |
| 1909 | 11,585,763 |
| 1910 | 30,166,948 |
| 1911 | 39,557,639 |
| 1912 | 26,234,569 |
| 1912-D | 8,474,000 |
| 1912-S | 238,000 |
| 1913 | 5 known |
Liberty Head nickel is also referred to as the V nickel because of the large letter “V” on the coin’s reverse side, which is actually the Roman numeral five. It was designed by U.S. Mint engraver Charles Barber in 1883 as an attempt to achieve a more uniform design with other American coins in circulation. The V Nickels were produced from 1883 to 1913 and it's metal content is 75% copper and 25% nickel. The first year the V-Nickel had no 'CENTS' stamped on the reverse, the preceding years from 1884 to 1913 the word 'CENTS' appears on the reverse bottom middle.
V Nickels 1893
V Nickel Key Dates
- The V Nickels were produced from 1883 to 1913 and it's metal content is 75% copper and 25% nickel. The first year the V-Nickel had no 'CENTS' stamped on the reverse, the preceding years from 1884 to 1913 the word 'CENTS' appears on the reverse bottom middle.
- Liberty Head nickel is also referred to as the V nickel because of the large letter “V” on the coin’s reverse side, which is actually the Roman numeral five. It was designed by U.S. Mint engraver Charles Barber in 1883 as an attempt to achieve a more uniform design with other American coins in circulation.
- 1883-1913 Liberty Nickel Coin Guide Aside from a few years, the Liberty Nickel mintages occurred in relatively high numbers. Most of the Philadelphia Mint issues were struck with a mintage of 10 million or greater, with a few notable exceptions.