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Shield Nickels

Shield Nickels

James B. Longacre designed the Shield nickel, the first five-cent coin struck in a base-metal alloy and the coin that effectively replaced the silver half dime in American commerce. Longacre had been Chief Engraver since 1844 and by 1866 had already designed the Indian Head cent, the two-cent piece, the three-cent nickel, and the gold dollar, a productive stretch by any standard. The obverse of the Shield nickel featured the same federal shield motif he had used on the two-cent piece, with a large numeral 5 on the reverse surrounded by stars and rays. The design was bold and easily legible, though not everyone found it attractive. Contemporary critics called it clunky, and the large shield with its crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lines gave the coin a busy, cluttered appearance that stood in contrast to the more classical Liberty portraits used on the silver coinage. Longacre was not designing for beauty. He was designing for a coin that needed to be immediately distinguishable from the dime, which was similar in size, and the Shield motif accomplished that even if it would never win an aesthetic competition.

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1866–1883Years struck
21Date/variety entries
Philadelphia onlyMints
Circulation Strikes Proofs
Key date
Semi-key
Variety
Proof
Special
NIFC
Regular
DateVarietyMintageClassificationCK #
1866 Rays 125 Key Date CK-1150
1867 No Rays, Pattern Reverse 600 Key Date CK-1154
1867 No Rays 600 Key Date CK-1153
1867 Rays 600 Key Date CK-1156
1868 600 Key Date CK-1158
1869 600 Key Date CK-1160
1870 1,000 Key Date CK-1161
1871 960 Key Date CK-1164
1872 950 Key Date CK-1166
1873 1,100 Key Date CK-1167
1874 700 Key Date CK-1170
1875 700 Key Date CK-1172
1876 1,150 Key Date CK-1175
1877 900 Key Date CK-1176
1878 2,350 Key Date CK-1177
1879 9 Over 8 3,200 Key Date CK-1180
1879 3,200 Key Date CK-1178
1880 3,955 Key Date CK-1181
1881 3,575 Key Date CK-1183
1882 3,100 Key Date CK-1186
1883 Shield 1,456,919 Key Date CK-1191
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