NEWMAN ON THE 1913 LIBERTY NICKEL

 

The Eric P. Newman Files on the 1913 Liberty Nickel

The story of Eric P. Newman's acquisition of the five 1913 Liberty nickels from the estate of Colonel E.H.R. Green is the stuff of legend, and Newman's extensive paper trail on this iconic coin is now offered for sale through Heritage Auctions. Presented as lot 52032 in Selections from the Eric P. Newman Correspondence Files, the files reveal Newman playing detective and working toward a presentation similar to his 1962 publication The Fantastic 1804 Dollar. Newman pursued multiple research topics, not all of which were published, and this file represents a project that did not reach fruition. Still, Newman's status as owner of all five known examples (jointly, with Burdette G. Johnson) lends a unique perspective to perhaps the most famous of all American rarities.

Included here are Newman's notes on the physical description of each piece, and notes on a discussion with Vernon Sheldon in 1961, which includes tantalizing tidbits such as Says [Philadelphia coin dealer and reputed Mint insider] Ira Reed knew about 1913 Lib Head nickels…Secret Service has big file on Ira Reed. Newman tracked down a daughter of Samuel Brown, the Mint employee who initially marketed the coins, and includes notes on that conversation here. Newman was further in touch with George Walton, the owner of the lost 1913 Liberty nickel that came to light in recent years.

This writer could not help asking Newman, c. 2014, if he regretted selling the coins. Newman obviously recognized the financial implications, but at the same time he was somewhat ambivalent, as he considered the coins a clandestine issue and not truly significant except in an illegitimate sense. His comment to George Walton on January 3, 1962, sums it up well: I have just completed a book on the 1804 dollar which will be published, this spring, and I am hopeful that it will end any doubts about the matter. It is a shame to have to devote so much time to bad coins but I have not neglected my desire to write about genuine ones.

Image: Newman queries Smithsonian Curator Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli on the 1913 Liberty nickel, March 14, 1962

Link to Heritage Auctions offering of the Newman 1913 Liberty Nickel research papers:
https://coins.ha.com/itm/miscellaneous/various-sources-research-files-on-the-1913-liberty-nickel-files-include-correspondence-1939-1972-related-to-the-1913-liberty-nickel/a/63247-52032.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

Link to the Newman Correspondence Files Showcase Auction sale home page:
https://coins.ha.com/c/auction-home.zx?saleNo=63247&ic=breadcrumb-coins-121913-interior

 

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