Stack's to sell finest 1913 Liberty Head

The finest of five known 1913 Liberty Head nickels will be put on the auction block Jan. 2, 2007, by Stack?s at its auction preceding the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando, Fla.

It is expected to bring bids in the multiple millions of dollars.

Consigned by Bruce Morelan, the coin is the Eliasberg Collection specimen, though Morelan likes to call it the Eliasberg-Legend specimen in honor of Legend Numismatics, Lincroft, N.J., and Laura Sperber, who has helped him with acquisitions of major rarities.

According to Stack?s, Morelan also owned the Olsen example of the 1913 nickel.

Sperber had helped put the spotlight on the 1913 Liberty Head nickels by sponsoring a 2003 special reception at which all four of the pieces with known whereabouts were displayed for guests prior to the American Numismatic Association convention in Baltimore. At the very same convention, the fifth piece showed up in the hands of the heirs of the last known owner, bringing all five together for public view.

Examples of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel have reportedly been sold for $3 million in private treaty transactions, so the Eliasberg specimen 1913 Liberty Head nickel is expected to set a new record, perhaps challenging the $7,590,020 price achieved in 2002 by the only legal 1933 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold piece, or the $4,140,000 price paid for the Childs specimen of the 1804 auctioned in 1999.

The Stack?s auction will be held at the Renaissance Hotel at Sea World in Orlando, Fla. A special section of the auction catalog will be devoted to the history of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel.

The firm may be contacted by telephone toll-free at (866) 811-1804. check the Web site at www.stack?s.com.