Great Collections bought the Walton 1913 Liberty Head nickel for $4.2 million. GreatCollections bought two of the five ultra-rare 1913 Liberty Head nickels in a year.
The Walton 1913 coin has one of the best U.S. numismatic stories. It was retrieved from a 1962 car accident and preserved in an heir's closet for decades until being revealed to national acclaim in 2003. Ten years later, it sold for $3,172,500 in 2013. The Firman family bought the coin in 2018.
Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections, bought two multi-million-dollar U.S. 1913 Liberty Head nickels in the past year, including the one on the left from a Florida family for $4.2 million. Only five Liberty Head nickels from 1913 exist. Pro Coin Grading Service verified and graded it PRF-63 in 2013.
Ron Firman, representing the sellers, said, “Our family thoroughly enjoyed owning the Walton 1913 nickel for the past four years and having it on display at the American Numismatic Association Money Museum for all to enjoy. Ian [Russell] and GreatCollections made the purchase effortless. Ian was efficient, professional, and handled everything. We are excited to find more museum-quality rarities to display.”
Last year, GreatCollections bought the Eliasberg 1913 nickel, one of only five known and two in museum collections, for $13.35 million with the Dexter 1804 silver dollar and 1894-S proof dime.
“The 1913 nickel is one of the few coins that transcends into the non-numismatic world, and to handle two of these in a short time has been a thrill,” said GreatCollections president Ian Russell. “The coin market, especially rare and ultra-rare, is growing. We maintain wantlists for serious U.S. currency collectors today.”
Numismatists like King Farouk of Egypt, Louis Eliasberg, Col. EHR Green, Eric Newman, Dr. Jerry Buss, Bruce Morelan, and Gerald Forsythe have owned 1913 nickels.
“It is difficult to comprehend that all three 1913 nickels in private hands have found new homes in the past 12 months, and I do not believe any of the three will be on the market again in the near future,” said Russell. It could be decades before we see one again.”
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