1866-1883 Shield Nickel Coin Guide
The 1880 Shield Nickel (Buy on eBay) is the well-known key date of the series and one of the rarest circulation strike nickels ever produced. There was a scant mintage of only 16,000 pieces and attrition from circulation was high, leaving very few surviving examples. The total number of surviving circulation strikes has been estimated […]
The Shield Nickel was the first five cent coin struck using nickel as part of the composition. Specifically, the composition was 75% copper and 25% nickel, the same alloy used for the denomination through the present day. Each coin has a weight of 5 grams (77.19 grains) and diameter of 20.5 mm, with a plain […]
The Shield Nickel was authorized on May 16, 1866 and struck for circulation beginning in the same year. Until the conclusion of the series in 1883, all coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint. This included coins struck for circulation as well as Proof coins struck for collectors. After relatively high mintages for the first […]