1907 Proof

1,475 coins. The 1907 had one of the lowest proof mintages of the twentieth-century Liberty Head proof series. The Panic of 1907, which struck in October when F. Augustus Heinze's attempted copper corner triggered runs on New York banks and trust companies, likely contributed to the reduced production as collectors faced financial uncertainty and the Mint scaled back proof production accordingly. The 1907 is a semi-key within the twentieth-century proof sub-series and commands meaningful premiums.

Strike quality is strong, with typical Philadelphia proof characteristics. Mirror fields, frosted devices, and crisp detail characterize most surviving examples. Cameo pieces are scarcer than on surrounding years, and Deep Cameo examples are rare enough to command significant premiums when they appear at major auctions.

1907 was also the year that Augustus Saint-Gaudens's new designs for the $10 Indian and $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coins entered production, beginning the Renaissance of American Coinage. The Liberty Head nickel would not be replaced until 1913, but the Saint-Gaudens gold issues marked the beginning of the aesthetic revolution that would eventually sweep through all American denominations. The 1907 proof Liberty Head nickel is a late representative of the old design aesthetic, struck the same year that its replacement era began.