Two 1913 Liberty Head Nickels to be exhibited at National Money Show
Two 1913 Liberty Head nickels–one of America’s great numismatic rarities–will be displayed together in Portland, Oregon, at the American Numismatic Association (ANA) National Money ShowSM March 26-28, 2004.
“The 2004 National Money Show at the Oregon Convention Center is shaping up to be a great event,” says ANA Convention Director Brenda Bishop. “Our 225-table bourse floor already is sold out, we have a great lineup of educational programs planned and the icing on the cake will be our exhibit of two multimillion-dollar 1913 Liberty nickels, their first time together in the Pacific Northwest.”
The 1913 Liberty Head nickel exhibit will include the Bebee specimen, which was donated to the ANA Money Museum in 1989 by the late Aubrey and Adeline Bebee of Omaha, Nebraska, and the Walton specimen, which had been out of sight since 1962 when its owner, George O. Walton of Roanoke, Virginia, died in an auto accident. On temporary loan to the ANA, the coin was reunited with its four sisters at the ANA World’s Fair of MoneySM in Baltimore last summer.
Five 1913 Liberty Head nickels were produced 90 years ago under mysterious circumstances when the United States Mint was changing from the Liberty Head to the Buffalo design. First shown at the 1920 ANA convention in Chicago, the five coins remained together as a set until the 1940s, when they were separated and sold. One of them now is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection. The other two rare nickels remain in private hands, both changing ownership several times in the last 10 years, and one of them selling just before the ANA Baltimore convention for about $3 million.
A history of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel will be just one of the more than 20 hours of free Numismatic Theatre programs planned for the National Money Show. In addition, the ANA will offer its “Coin Collecting Basics” program, which introduces the different aspects of coin collecting to first-time numismatic show visitors, and coin a collecting clinic for Boy and Girl Scouts.
Throughout the three-day event, the ANA also will offer its Treasure Trivia family game, in which school-age children scour the bourse floor seeking answers to questions provided by the Association’s Education Department while collecting scarce coins and other numismatic items. Participants become eligible to enter a free drawing for a variety of collector coins, including the top prize of a silver Spanish milled dollar, also known as a “piece of eight.”
Before the show opens, the ANA “U.S. Coin Grading Seminar” will be held March 23-25 at the Doubletree Portland – Lloyd Center. Expert graders from Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the ANA’s official grading service, will serve as instructors at the hands-on course. (Cost for the seminar is $350 for ANA members ($450 for non-members). For more information or to sign up for the class, contact the ANA Education Department at 719-632-2646 or E-mail education@money.org.)The ANA has arranged discount room rates at the Doubletree Portland – Lloyd Center (503-281-6111), Courtyard by Marriott Portland Lloyd Center (503-234-3200) and Red Lion Hotel Portland Convention Center (800-343-1822). To make reservations, call the hotels directlyand mention the show.
For more information about the 2004 National Money Show, contact the ANA Convention Department at 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279; phone 719-632 2646; fax 719-634-4085; e-mail convention@money.org; or visit the ANA web site at www.money.org.
Originally Release Date: October 7, 2003
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872
Email: pr@money.org