New Orleans ? A 1913 Liberty Head nickel that was minted under mysterious circumstances, owned by royalty and celebrated in an episode of TV’s “Hawaii Five-O” sold Thursday for $3 million.

“Many argue this is the most important coin in our history,” said Bruce L. Smith of Blanchard and Co., which brokered the sale. “I think it’s the most beautiful.”

Neither the buyer, described as a collector and investor, nor the seller was identified.

At least two other coins have sold for more, both at auction. In 1999, an 1804 silver dollar sold for $4.14 million. Two years ago, a 1933 $20 gold piece went for $7.59 million.

The $3 million coin is one of only five Liberty Head nickels minted in 1913. The design had been discontinued in 1912 and the mint was switching to the Indian Head nickel.

The U.S. Mint sometimes ran off coins as tests, and the coins may have been struck that way, Smith said. They surfaced in 1920 in the possession of Samuel Brown, a former mint employee, and have soared in value ever since.

“The innocent view is that it was the test of a handful of coins,” Smith said. “The less innocent view is that Samuel Brown knew he would have a valuable investment down the road.”

During the Depression, Texas millionaire B. Max Mehl sparked dreams of wealth by offering a $1,000 reward for one of the 1913 Liberty Heads.

This 1913 Liberty Head nickel sold Thursday for million.

One of the nickels sold for $1 million in 1993, another went for $1.5 million in 1996 and a third fetched $1.85 million in 2001.

The coin sold by Blanchard is considered the second best in quality but the one with the most colorful history.

Called the Olsen Specimen for a previous owner, it once belonged to King Farouk of Egypt, an avid coin collector. It was also owned by Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and was the subject of a 1973 episode of “Hawaii Five-O” titled “The $100,000 Nickel.”