Million Dollar Nickels: Mysteries of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Revealed... [Hardcover]

Paul Montgomery (Author), Mark Borckardt (Author), Ray Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

Renowned numismatists Mark Borckardt and Paul Montgomery, along with researcher Ray Knight, uncover a 90-year old mystery involving the most valuable five coins in America. Framed in the backdrop of a nation-wide media frenzy is a story of eccentric and famous collectors, persistent reporters searching for the truth, an anonymous heiress, shameless profiteers, and agents of the Smithsonian desperate to stay above the fray. Million Dollar Nickels reveals previously unknown information to dealers, and to the public, an outlandish business where dealers pay $10,000 for the privilege to look at a coin, and offer a $1,000,000 to buy a nickel thought to be lost forever. Generations of Americans have searched in vain - even on the side of a desolate highway - for the elusive 1913 Liberty nickel. But the truth lay hidden away, buried deep in numismatic lore. In the end, under the watchful gaze of armed guards, six of the nations most respected coin experts sat in a small room. No one expected what they found, and what they found rewrote numismatic history...

Editorial Reviews

Review

...this one's a real keeper - one of the few numismatic books that make easy cover-to-cover reading... -- The E-Sylum: Volume 9, Number 19, May 7, 2006

About the Author

Both Paul Montgomery and Mark Borckardt are life members of the American Numismatic Association and are long-time contributing editors to The Official Guide Book of United States Coins. Paul is a member of the board of directors of the Professional Numismatists Guild, board member and past chairman of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. He served as president and CEO of Jefferson Coin & Bullion and later as president of Bowers and Merena Galleries. At Bowers and Merena he worked with Mark, who was the companys vice-president and senior numismatist. Mark later became Senior Cataloger at Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. Mark published extensively, winning the Early American Coppers Literary Award and Numismatic Literary Guilds Book of the Year Award for Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents, 1793-1814. He has been a major contributor to several books by Q. David Bowers and the award-winning Rare Coin Review. Ray Knight began his career as a radio and TV broadcaster, migrating in the mid-60s to the advertising agency business as a creative writer and broadcast producer. Ray is currently a freelance writer, specializing in corporate communication and business journalism. Though not a coin collector, he became keenly interested in the historical and economic aspects of numismatics as a result of working with Paul Montgomery on projects for Jefferson Coin & Bullion and later Bowers and Merena Galleries, leading to his involvement with telling the 1913 Liberty Head nickels story.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Zyrus Press Inc.; 1ST edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974237183
• ISBN-13: 978-0974237183
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biased Review of Mysteries of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels, November 29, 2005

By 

Donn Pearlman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Million Dollar Nickels: Mysteries of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Revealed... (Hardcover)

Hello, I'm Donn Pearlman and I was actively involved in the surprisingly successful search in 2003 for the George O. Walton specimen 1913 Liberty Head nickel. It had been missing from the hobby for more than 40 years; kept in a strongbox with family papers ON THE FLOOR OF A CLOSET FOR DECADES by a family that was mistakently told in 1962 the coin was a fake!

So, I'm more than a bit biased when I say that this book is fantastic. The authors revealed information even I didn't know about the worldwide search. Of course, this wonderful book is much more than just the hunt for the Walton coin. It is a superbly-written numismatic detective story, examining the mysterious circumstances that led to striking the five-known 1913 Liberty Head nickels, and the colorful people who have owned one or more over the years.

Enjoy,
-donn-
Donn Pearlman
American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, 1989 - 1993
Professional Numismatists Guild, Affiliate Member

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Nickel Is Golden!, December 2, 2007

By 

R. J. Nice (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Million Dollar Nickels: Mysteries of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Revealed... (Hardcover)

I am a 48 year old attorney who has collected coins on the side since my paper route days 40 years ago. As a collector, I appreciate the history and lore that accompanies the hobby. Unfortunately, most of my non collector friends think it is akin to watching paint dry. This book is a great example of why non coin collectors SHOULD read stories involving coins. You may find it hard to believe the authors could write 300 pages about a nickel, but it was well done and a very enjoyable read. This is a great book for anyone -- part folk history, part mystery, part treasure hunt -- about one of the most famous coins of all time. A MUST read for collectors and a SHOULD read for everyone else.