1866 Shield Nickel

The United States Mint introduced the Shield Nickel in 1866 to replace the silver half dime. Congress authorized this new five-cent piece because the Civil War caused people to hoard silver coins. James B. Longacre designed the coin to match his two-cent piece design. The obverse features a shield with arrows, while the reverse shows a numeral 5 surrounded by stars and rays. The mint removed the rays from the design in 1867 to improve the striking quality of the coins. These rays are only present on coins from 1866 and part of 1867. Longacre chose the shield design to reflect the national sentiment during the war. The Mint ended the series in 1883 when the Liberty Head Nickel replaced it. The Shield Nickel remains the first five-cent coin made of a copper-nickel alloy.

Focus on the 1882 and 1883 dates for your first purchases, as these are the most affordable coins in the series. Most Shield Nickels suffer from weak strikes on the tops of the shield or the stars, so look for coins with clear details in those areas. Avoid coins with heavy corrosion or harsh cleaning, which destroy the value of these pieces. Watch for counterfeit 1877 and 1878 dates, as these are rare and frequently faked. Buy coins in grades from Very Fine to Extremely Fine to get the best balance of eye appeal and price.