Swindlers gold-plated some to fool merchants -- Fine QualityCharles E. Barber was the U.S. Mint’s chief engraver when he carefully crafted this distinguished new Liberty personification. On the reverse he used merely the Roman numeral “V” to designate the 5 cent denomination within the elegant wreath. Since the coin was about the size of the U.S. $5 gold coin of the day (which had a somewhat similar Liberty Head obverse), crooks gold-plated some of the new nickels to pass them off on merchants as coins worth a hundred times as much! The most famous was a deaf-mute named Josh, whose lawyer got him off by saying he couldn’t tell merchants otherwise. That’s when the expression “only joshing you” entered the language. Later in 1883, a new type emerged with “Cents” under the “V” to avert further mischief. Well-preserved Fine quality. |
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