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The Story of 1912 United States Coins: Liberty Head Nickel and Buffalo Nickel

Explore the history and significance of the 1912 United States coins, including the Liberty Head Nickel and the Buffalo Nickel. Learn about their design changes, rare variations, and the mystery of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel. Discover the value of these coins, how they were used, and the events of 1912.

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The Story of 1912 United States Coins: Liberty Head Nickel and Buffalo Nickel

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  1. Pick a Year, Any Year The Year is 1912 Rod Gillis ANA Numismatic Educator

  2. 1912 United States Coins

  3. Liberty Head Nickel • Liberty Head Type 1883 – 1912 • 1883 nickel appeared without the word Cents on the reverse • Some “cents-less” nickels were gold-plated and passed for five dollar pieces

  4. 1883 Nickel With Cents

  5. 1913 Buffalo Nickel • Design change in 1913 from Liberty Type to Buffalo • Also known as Indian Head type • Bison modeled after “Black Diamond” from Central Park Zoo

  6. Two Varieties in 1913

  7. Buffalo Nickel

  8. The Mystery of 1913 • Samuel Brown, a one time employee of the Philadelphia Mint, places an advertisement to purchase 1913 Liberty Head nickels for $500 a piece. • After advertising, Brown announces that he has acquired 5 1913 Liberty Head nickels but refuses to say how they were obtained.

  9. Expensive Nickel • 5 Examples of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel are known to exist. • 1913 nickel sold in 2007 for a reported 5 million dollars.

  10. Which Has Greater Value? • 1912 Philadelphia nickel mintage =26,236,714 • 1913 Philadelphia nickel mintage = 5

  11. What is it worth? It all depends on how you define Value

  12. Where Does the Money Go? • A coin minted in 1912 most likely circulated for 10 years or more. • Who used the coin and what did it purchase? • Where has the coin traveled?

  13. Events of 1912 • New Mexico and Arizona both enter the Union in 1912. • Could your nickel have been used to buy a newspaper announcing statehood?

  14. 1912 Stockholm Olympics • Modern Olympics discontinued until after the “War to End All Wars”. • Jim Thorpe wins the Pentathlon and Decathlon but is stripped of his medals because it was discovered that he played semi-pro baseball in 1911 and earned $25 a week. • While in Stockholm, Thorpe most likely exchanged American coins for Swedish money.

  15. Across the Atlantic? • RMS Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage April 15th, 1912. • Several passengers were Americans, some of whom survived. • Could someone have carried your quarter in their purse or pocket?

  16. Presidential Election of 1912 • Republican incumbent candidate – William Howard Taft • Democratic candidate – Woodrow Wilson • Progressive (Bull Moose) candidate – Theodore Roosevelt

  17. President Taft

  18. Woodrow Wilson

  19. Theodore Roosevelt

  20. Alice Hathaway Roosevelt

  21. Diary Entry

  22. Where Did Their Change Go? • All three candidates traveled across the country delivering speeches. What items did they purchase? • All three candidates had change in their pockets. Did they nervously roll it around while delivering a speech?

  23. What Could Your Coins Buy? Prices in 1912 New Jersey

  24. Transportation • A brand new Ford Model T could be purchased for $690. • A one year old, used Model T could be bought for $450.

  25. Food in 1912 • The cost of bacon was 16 cents per pound. • Eggs were 22 cents a dozen.

  26. Furniture • A brass bed could be purchased for $9.95. • The mattress for the bed cost $5.50 - $6.50.

  27. Real Estate in 1912 • A 10 room home in Morristown, New Jersey sold for approximately $3,000. • The same home near a trolley line might sell for $1,000 more.

  28. Captain of IndustryJohn Rockefeller • Estimated to be worth 1.4 billion dollars. • Gave 550 million dollars to philanthropic pursuits. • Handed out dimes to children (except during the Depression when he gave nickels).

  29. Working Wages in 1912 • Male mill workers earned $8.76 per 56 hour work weeks. • Women & children mill workers earned $6.00 per 56 hour work weeks.

  30. Plight of Child Labor • Furman Owens was 12 years old. He could neither read nor write and had been working at a mill in Columbia, South Carolina for the previous 4 years.

  31. Did He Earn Your Coins? • Manuel picked shrimp in Biloxi, MS. He was 5 years old when this photograph was taken. He had worked there for a year.

  32. So Where Have Your Coins Been?

  33. A Story to Tell • A 1912 coin could have lavishly traveled the Atlantic only to come close to an iceberg. • A coin could have rested in the pocket of a dignitary. • A coin could have been spent by the world’s greatest athlete, or earned by a poor child helping his family survive. • Help your students learn to tell the story.

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