Did you know that such a mere nickel caused a huge controversy? In1883, the U.S. Mint briefly produced nickels that were missing the word "Cents" on the reverse. The coin simply had a roman numeral "V" on the reverse. Clever observers took note and decided to plate the nickels in gold to try to pass them off as $5 Gold coins! They were just about the size of a $5 gold coin and they had the number 5 on them, so countless people fell for this trick.
With inflation, $5 in 1883 is equivalent to about $125 in today's money. After so many people were duped into these fake gold coins, the Mint finally put the word "cents" on the coin to put an end to the scams. This is a fantastic set of the original "no cents" nickel and the gold plated ones used to get rich quick in circulated condition. This is a really fun set to collect, and show off the coins and story to your friends and family. Add this set of the most controversial nickels in US history to your collection today!
Highlights:
- A true piece of Americana
- Nice condition
- Genuine gold plated
