1912 Proof

The 1912 proof is the terminal piece of the Liberty Head proof sub-series. Philadelphia struck 2,145 coins, the final year of the design's proof production and the last year the Liberty Head would appear in new United States coinage. What distinguishes the 1912 is its status as the closing proof before Fraser's Buffalo design took over in 1913.

Strike quality is strong for the year, with typical Philadelphia proof characteristics: mirror fields, frosted devices, and crisp detail on well-preserved examples. Cameo pieces are available at modest premiums, and Deep Cameo examples command higher prices at major auctions. The 1912 proof represents the closing of a thirty-year production run that had begun in 1883 with the Racketeer Nickel scandal and ended with the first branch mint nickels in the same year as this proof.

For collectors building complete Liberty Head proof sets, the 1912 is the required terminal acquisition. Many specialists pursue 1912 proofs as the closing piece of their Liberty Head proof collection, recognizing the coin's significance as the final example of a proof sub-series that had spanned three decades and had documented every major moment in the Liberty Head nickel's history.