The Infamous Racketeer Nickel  E-mail this product to a friend

1883 Liberty Head “V” Nickel

Also known as the Racketeer Nickel

Not long after the first 1883 Liberty “V” nickel left the mint, it was discovered that its designer had inadvertently left the word “CENTS” from the coin. Enterprising con artists quickly realized they could gold plate the nickel and pass it off as the comparably sized five-dollar gold piece.

The minor crime wave that followed subsided only after the corrected design went into circulation later that year. Blind Josh Tatum would go into a tavern with his plated 5 cent piece and sometimes walk out with $4.95 in change. If the tavern owner suspected foul play, Josh would feign innocence on account of his blindness. The colloquialism “I’m just joshing you” is generally considered to have been inspired by Josh Tatum and the mistake on the 1883 Liberty Head Nickel!