This nickel just sold for $4.2 million. There are only four more coins like it

Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY
·2 min read

An extremely rare nickel has sold for $4.2 million, an auction house announced.

The Walton 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was acquired by GreatCollections Coin Auctions. In a press release Sunday  announcing the purchase, GreatCollections noted that the famous coin "has one of the greatest stories to ever be told in U.S. numismatics."

According to the American Numismatic Association, there are only five known 1913 Liberty Head Nickels: the McDermott, Eliasberg, Norweb, Olsen and, of course, Walton.

No one knows exactly how or why these five coins were made. No nickels with the Liberty Head design were supposed to be produced in 1913 – because that was the year the Liberty Head was set to be replaced with the Buffalo design, the American Numismatic Association said.

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickels were either struck by accident or, as many historians believe, minted by Samuel W. Brown, a U.S. Mint employee in Philadelphia.

A 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of only five in existence.
A 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of only five in existence.

The rare coins passed through various owners over the years. In 1962, the Walton nickel was recovered from a deadly car accident, GreatCollections said, and was stored in an heir's closet for decades. In 2013, the coin was auctioned for more than $3.17 million.

The sellers in Walton's $4.2 million purchase, the Firman family, acquired the coin in 2018.

"Our family thoroughly enjoyed owning the Walton 1913 Nickel for the past four years and it was very fulfilling for us to have it on display at the American Numismatic Association Money Museum for all to enjoy during this entire period," Ron Firman said in a statement, adding that selling the coin to GreatCollections "could not have gone any smoother."

The Walton 1913 Liberty Head Nickel passed through various owners over the years. In 1962, the nickel was recovered from a deadly car accident and was stored in an heir's closet for decades.
The Walton 1913 Liberty Head Nickel passed through various owners over the years. In 1962, the nickel was recovered from a deadly car accident and was stored in an heir's closet for decades.

GreatCollections acquired another 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, the Eliasberg, just last year. In November 2021, the auction house made a $13.35 million three-coin purchase to acquire the Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, the Dexter 1804 Silver Dollar and the 1894-S Proof Dime.

"It is difficult to comprehend that all three 1913 Nickels in private hands have found new homes in the past 12 months, and I do not believe any of the three will be on the market again in the near future," Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections, said in the news release. "It could be decades before we see one again."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walton 1913 Liberty Head Nickel sells for $4.2 million at auction