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For the lesser grades, the focus is on the number of letters visible in "LIBERTY" on the coronet of the obverse and in the hair. In finer grades, the corn grains and wreath are also taken into consideration.
Liberty Head Nickel Obverse - BU
This is a nice example of the 1883 No Cent variety. Notice that the coronet is well defined and all letters in LIBERTY show clearly. The hair shows strong detail from the front of the forehead to the back of the head. The hair left of the ear is strongly detailed and shows no sign of wear.
Liberty Head Nickel Obverse - AU
On this 1907 About Uncirculated example, you should notice the slight wear on the hair above the forehead. Some detail in the hair is also lost in the hair to the left of the ear. There also appears to be some loss of detail in the hair towards the back of head, in the bun. The coronet is still well defined and all letters in LIBERTY are bold.
Liberty Head Nickel Reverse - BU
On the reverse, check for wear on the high points of the wreath, the corn ears and lines in the corn. Notice all details are strong on this example. The corn grains at the bottom of the wreath are clearly defined. The detail in the corn ears strong with the lines showing clearly. The high points of the wreath show no wear.
Liberty Head Nickel Reverse - AU
Notice the slight amount of wear on the high points of the wreath. The bow has lost a little detail. The corn grains at the bottom of the wreath are clearly defined but the detail in the corn ears are a bit weak with the lines not as clear as the coin above. The high points of the wreath show just a touch of wear.
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