1912 Liberty Head Nickel

Mint: Philadelphia
Mintage: 26,234,569
Catalog: KM-112
Obverse Designer: Charles E. Barber
Reverse Designer: Charles E. Barber
Composition: Copper-Nickel
Weight: 5.00 Grams
Diameter: 21.2mm
Edge: Plain

The 1912 nickels of all three mints tend to be a bit mushy overall, with sharp strikes being quite rare. Since the proofs are quite sharp, this deficiency was probably not in the master dies, but it may have been that some of the working hubs used to make working dies were not fully impressed.

This date is plentiful across all grades through MS 65, though even the latter may be a bit poorly struck. Collectors should do some comparison shopping to find a piece that has both the desired grade and superior technical qualities.