1883 Liberty Head Nickel, With Cents VF

This famous first-year-of-issue nickel is one of the most interesting chapters in coinage history. When the Liberty Head nickel was introduced in 1883, it carried a large Roman numeral V (five) on the reverse, but not the word "cents." Some con artists gold plated the coins (which had a similar obverse design to actual $5 gold pieces), and passed off quite a few to unsuspecting merchants. The word "cents" was added to the reverse, and the 1883 With Cents nickel became a desirable collecting variety.