Shield Nickel
Shield Nickel
Like many other coins, the characteristics of the Shield Nickel were strongly influenced by popular behavior during the American Civil War. At that time, there was already a five-cent coin, i.e. the silver half-dime, already being used. However, the silver in the shield nickel coin made it highly attractive to wartime hoarders. True, there was also a supposedly equivalent paper currency denomination, but minting authorities did not consider it sufficiently reliable. Thus the copper-and-zinc shield nickel was born.
This shield nickel coin was three parts copper and one part zinc. As you would expect from the coin’s name, a large shield was emblazoned on its obverse side, below the now-commonplace motto, “In God We Trust,” and above the minting year. On the reverse side of shield nickel was a large 5 (the numerical symbol, not the word), surrounded by a round border of alternating stars and rays. Below this border was the word “Cents,” and above it were the words “United States of America.
Shield nickel coin’s design was to be revised soon after it was introduced. The rays proved problematic for 19th century minting technology, and were dropped in 1867. Before then, the rays looked blurry, and spoiled the look of shield nickel coin. This explains the high premium placed on a particular type of shield nickel: one with clearly-defined rays, minted in 1866 or the year after. Understandably, these coins are rare because they were minted around the time the ray was phased out, and what rayed coins existed often had blurry-looking rays.
Shield Nickel Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1866-1883)
| Date/Type | G4 | VG8 | F12 | VF20 | XF40 | AU50 | AU53 | AU55 | AU58 | MS60 | PR60 (Proof) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With Rays | |||||||||||
| 1866 Rays | $29 | $39 | $58 | $82 | $150 | $210 | $234 | $246 | $264 | $288 | $1,440 |
| 1867 Rays | $31 | $41 | $59 | $83 | $192 | $252 | $270 | $288 | $306 | $390 | $18,000 |
| No Rays | |||||||||||
| 1867 | $17 | $25 | $31 | $40 | $67 | $100 | $102 | $108 | $120 | $144 | $228 |
| 1868 | $17 | $25 | $30 | $38 | $64 | $100 | $102 | $108 | $118 | $144 | $234 |
| 1869 | $17 | $26 | $31 | $40 | $66 | $100 | $102 | $110 | $120 | $144 | $228 |
| 1870 | $21 | $29 | $40 | $52 | $74 | $103 | $107 | $115 | $144 | $156 | $216 |
| 1871 | $62 | $86 | $115 | $162 | $240 | $270 | $294 | $318 | $390 | $432 | $216 |
| 1872 | $20 | $29 | $38 | $53 | $72 | $104 | $108 | $120 | $144 | $162 | $222 |
| 1873 | $21 | $30 | $38 | $50 | $70 | $104 | $108 | $114 | $132 | $150 | $216 |
| 1874 | $23 | $32 | $47 | $71 | $89 | $107 | $110 | $116 | $144 | $162 | $228 |
| 1875 | $25 | $36 | $67 | $84 | $106 | $138 | $144 | $168 | $192 | $228 | $234 |
| 1876 | $24 | $31 | $58 | $73 | $98 | $120 | $126 | $132 | $150 | $180 | $216 |
| **1877 | $1,260 | $1,350 | $1,500 | $1,640 | $1,710 | $1,860 | $1,950 | $2,010 | $2,100 | $2,190 | $2,190 |
| *1878 | $610 | $650 | $760 | $870 | $980 | $1,050 | $1,080 | $1,120 | $1,200 | $1,380 | $1,380 |
| *1879 | $390 | $490 | $590 | $660 | $740 | $790 | $840 | $930 | $1,040 | $1,110 | $312 |
| *1880 | $540 | $670 | $850 | $1,500 | $1,890 | $2,070 | $2,340 | $4,140 | $4,650 | $5,340 | $264 |
| *1881 | $245 | $342 | $470 | $510 | $680 | $770 | $930 | $960 | $990 | $1,050 | $252 |
| 1882 | $16 | $24 | $30 | $38 | $60 | $96 | $102 | $107 | $118 | $144 | $210 |
| 1883 | $16 | $24 | $30 | $38 | $60 | $96 | $102 | $106 | $120 | $144 | $210 |
| *1883/2 | $173 | $201 | $300 | $360 | $630 | $720 | $800 | $990 | $1,080 | $1,170 | $210 |
Shield Nickel Coins on eBay
