On January 6, 2010, the first-ever 1913 Liberty Head nickel offered at
public auction was sold by Heritage Auctions. This marks only the
twelfth time any specimen of the coin has been sold at public auction
since its first appearance at auction in 1944. Known as the Olsen
specimen, the coin is graded PR64 NGC and is the second finest of five
extant examples. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is famous among collectors
for being one of the rarest coins and has a strong history of breaking
price records. It was the first coin to surpass the $100,000 mark in
1972 and the $1,000,000 mark in 1996. Experts expect the 1913 Liberty
Head nickel to be the first to break the $10,000,000 barrier, and it
will likely be the Olsen specimen that does so, as it is the most
publicized of the five specimens. This past January at Heritage
Auctions, the Olsen specimen sold for $3,737,500. It is one of the most
sought after coins, on the same level as the 1804 Silver Dollar and the
1894-S Dime. In the third edition of the 100 Greatest U.S. coins, the
1913 Liberty Head nickel was promoted to the top of the list.