What US nickel is worth a lot of money?

Answer 1

Many older US nickels can be worth $1000 or more depending on their condition, including most shield and Liberty nickels along with a few buffalo nickels with minting errors.

However you're probably thinking of the absolute champion, the iconic 1913 Liberty Head nickel. Only five of these coins were minted, and auction prices have been from one to over five million dollars.

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In early 1913 design work for the new Indian Head nickel was behind schedule so the Mint had 1913-dated Liberty Head dies prepared as a stopgap, but didn't authorize their use pending a draw-down of existing stocks of 1912 and earlier nickels. During that hiatus a few Mint employees surreptitiously used the new dies to strike five coins with the 1913 date.

Because the coins were made on Mint premises by Mint employees using official dies, they're considered to be unauthorized strikes rather than counterfeits or patterns. Regardless of terminology the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels rank with the 1804 dollar and 1933 double-eagle as classic American rarities.

Answer 2

The most valuable nickel is the 1913 Liberty Head V nickel. It is worth four million five hundred thousand dollars.