Since the Liberty Head design had been conceived as part of a three-coin set including nickel cents and three-cent pieces of the same design, it was considered unnecessary to include the word CENTS; it would clearly be understood in the context of three matching coins. When only the five-cent piece was actually issued with the new design, sharpers immediately seized on this opportunity by gold plating them and passing them to the unfamiliar as gold five-dollar pieces which, unfortunately, were of about the same size and thickness. The extent to which this was done has been greatly exaggerated, but the fact that it worked even one time would have been enough to force a redesign. The word CENTS was added at the bottom of the reverse, and this caused the Latin motto to be reduced in size and squeezed into a small space above the wreath.
Though the mintage of this subtype was five times that of the No CENTS nickel in 1883, there existed no incentive to same them in Mint State, so this coin is much more scarce across all grades. Nevertheless, there appear to be enough gems to satisfy advanced collectors of the series. Many will reveal slender die cracks, a problem that retired most dies before they could show much wear.
At least three re-punched date varieties are known for this issue.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia no Cents | Philadelphia with Cents |
| 5,474,300 | 16,026,200 |
Cents
