The 1866 and 1867 shield nickel reverses feature rays. Shield nickel us coin grading grade comparison charts. The shield nickel is just one of many fivecent pieces produced by the us mint, but is especially renowned simply because of the time period during which it was minted. The shield nickel was americas first modern day 5 cent peice made from nickel alloy, or coppernickel as some people call it. Buy shield nickels online securely with golden eagle coins. Shield nickel photos, mintage, specifications, errors. A guide book of shield and liberty head nickels official red book 5 kindle edition by bowers, q. It is the second most common no rays shield nickel in ms65 and ms66, with a couple of ms67 examples also found.
The earliest true nickel, the shield nickel was minted from just after the. Adding more appeal to the coin is the fact that it is just the third edition of the shield nickel, and is therefore a crucial addition to any collection. As you may recall, i have been a longtime collector of shield nickels, especially varieties. Shield nickel variety population shield nickel variety population pdf format variety population data.
Type 1 with rays 1869 nickel 1870 nickel 1871 nickel 1872 nickel 1873 nickel. We use strict photograde standards when grading all of our. The shield nickel series contains many strange and wonderful varieties. The shield five cent series a comprehensive listing of known.
There are 6 varieties when it comes to the 1868 rev. Variety 1 is usually described as the reverse of 1938 wexler jnrd001 and is. While shield nickels are not the most popular series, they do offer coins that can make a great hunt. This book is, without a doubt, one of the best publications ever offered to the. The shield nickel, though, was the first nickel fivecent piece, and while the design has. Closed 3, proof 18798, and 18832 are probably the best known varieties. From 1867 until 1883, the reverses are without rays. I initially wanted to do a top 10 list, but due to the breadth of shield nickel variety material found it impossible to whittle the choices. Unable to find it in any reference books or on series specialist howard spindels shield nickel variety disc, lange sent photos of the coin to. But shield nickel varieties are legion, and there are many that are not covered by eds book. In 1883 the shield nickel was dropped in favor of one featuring charles barbers new grecoroman head of liberty. The first nickel five cent pieces were struck in 1866 and there have been relatively few key. Ag3 about good fine f12 good g4 very good vg10 very fine vf35 extremely fine ef45 almost uncirulated au55 mint state.
Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. In 1866, there were rays bordering around the 5 on the reverse. A guide book of shield and liberty head nickels, q. The 1868 shield nickel is of particular importance to collectors because it is the first year where the coin was produced without rays surrounding the 5 cent face value. Along with the first of status comes popularity and demand for collectable grade coins. Shield nickels with major varieties, circulation strikes. Special characteristics the history of nickel where nickel is found mining and refining nickel and its compounds nickel in steel other nickel alloys nickel coins nickel and the body periodic tabel chemical reactions. Allens has temporarily closed our retail stores in compliance with the order of the governor of the state of ohio, due to the coronavirus crisis. A guide book of united states coins the official red book 71st ed. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc. The coin shown in the photos is the exact coin youll receive. Even more shield nickel yearsmints varieties 1866 nickel. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Including the major varieties adds three coins to the basic set.
Shield nickels were minted from 1866 untill 1883 with the largest quantities of these coins being minted in 1867 and 1867. Grading shield nickels how to videoimagesdescriptions. Reverse of 1868 varieties five hub varieties based on broken letters. Apmex offers 1867 shield nickel wo rays good at competitive gold prices. This series is filled with problem coins, as the 1867 rays is almost always poorly struck and many issues have planchet problems andor poor luster.
In 1939 the mint modified the reverse design of the jefferson nickel so that the 1939 jefferson nickels come in two varieties. Shield nickels minted 1866 to 1883 shield nickel with rays. The top 20 shield nickel varieties, shield nickels have a top list too. When the shield nickel was conceived in 1866, fivecent pieces had been produced by the us mint since 1792. The shield five cent series a comprehensive listing of known varieties jr. There are two type coins in the shield nickel series. The earliest true nickel, the shield nickel was minted from just after the civil war in 1866, with mintage continuing through 1883. This was removed in mid1867 production, making two varieties in 1867. Shield nickels shield nickels began production in 1866. One would expect that many ms65 and ms66 examples are to be found and that is the case.
There has been one book published on shield nickel varieties ed fletchers excellent the shield five cent series, which came out in 1994. Ag3 about good fine f12 good g4 very good vg10 very fine vf35 extremely fine ef45 almost uncirulated au55 mint state ms63 mint state ms65. The entire top loop of the 2 digit in the date in filled while the two 8 digits have partially filled upper loops. The first year 1866, and early 1867 had quite distinctive rays on the reverse. After the grading process visit the listing of shield nickel values. The first of these fivecent pieces the shield nickel has an. You will find a lot of information below such as mintages, specifications, and images. This page also shows coins listed for sale so you can buy and sell. A guide book of shield and liberty head nickels official. This page is dedicated exclusively to the 1868 shield nickel. We use strict photograde standards when grading all of our coins. Variety 1 is usually described as the reverse of 1938 wexler jnrd001 and is best recognized by steps on monticello that are not well defined and sometimes described as wavy. The obverse has a shield design similar to that adopted for the regular issue shield nickel, except that the motto in god we trust is expressed.
Errata, shield nickel reference book errata and additions. The shield nickel was the first united states fivecent piece to be made out of coppernickel, the same alloy of which american nickels are struck today. In 1865, mint director james pollock officially endorsed the creation of a nickel fivecent piece to replace the hated fractional notes. This was removed in mid1867 production, making two. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the liberty head nickel. Gems exist in sufficient number for the advanced collector, perhaps because the philadelphia mint was getting better at making these troublesome coins. However, if there is a coin in this series that you dont see available, we likely have it in our inventory. These nickels are the first nickel alloy five cent us coin. Shield nickels are made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. Aug 24, 2018 even with only a quick glance, a number of problems with this counterfeit shield nickel are obvious. The second is the intermediate or transitional period following the publication of romines.
Hobo nickel carving can effectively be divided into three periods, the first being the time of the old original hoboes. The coin shown in the photos is the exact coin youll. But among the weirdness, certain of the varieties still stand out for their individual eccentricities. The shield nickel series has yielded a large number of varieties. This is the first nickel fivecent coin, and the series contains two major types, the 186667 rays and the 186783 no rays. Shield nickels are an exciting find in a box of old coins. Pictures, values and information for the us pattern collector.
A guide book of shield and liberty head nickels official red. Even with only a quick glance, a number of problems with this counterfeit shield nickel are obvious. Your shield nickel, as it is known to collectors, is a rather elusive and historically important part of the first nickels minted by the united states. Page 1 choose from our large selection of shield nickels, accurately graded and ready to find a home in your collection. Shield nickels were minted starting in 1866, primarily in response to an extreme shortage of circulating coins. In 1866, the mint introduced a new fivecent coin which proved to be so popular that the denomination is still in use today. There is often some uncertainty about whether or not a given example of the 1880 shield nickel. Volume 9, number 10, march 5, 2006, article 3 howard spindels shield nickel variety book on cd howard spindel writes. Longacre, created a design based on his previous twocent piece, with a shield as the main obverse motif. This series was one of the first of the nickel alloy coins preceded only by. Counterfeit coin detection fake 1880 shield nickel. The 1868 shield nickel had a mintage of just 28,817,000. Shield nickels golden eagle coins stocks a large inventory online. Oct 10, 2010 5 cent nickels shield nickel no rays, 18671883.
The design change resulted in 1867dated shield nickels both with rays and. Proof shield nickels are reasonably abundant as are uncirculated examples. Gold and silver coinage had disappeared from circulation because their bullion value was greater than their face value. The shield nickel was the first united states fivecent piece to be made out of coppernickel, the. Shop 1870 shield nickel and more authentic and unique collectibles coins at amazons collectible coins store. Later in 1867, the rays were removed from the coin. Shield nickel variety population shield nickel variety population pdf format variety population data compiled from members of the yahoo shield nickel club. We also have a shield nickel grading forum to help you establish a grade for your shield nickel. As promised last week, here is another shield nickel type that can be a nice find. The shield nickel, though, was the first nickel fivecent piece, and while the design has changed several times since 1866, the basic 5gram nickel has remained a mainstay of our modern coinage system.
Nickel history shield nickels, circulation strikes. The obverse has a shield design similar to that adopted for the regular issue shield nickel, except that the motto in god we trust is expressed in smaller letters and the date is divided by the ball at the base of the shield. Features a shield on the obverse and the number 5 within stars on the. Shield nickel books the shield five cent series 2020 red book guide book of united states coins cherrypickers. The shield nickel was the first united states fivecent piece to be made out of copper nickel, the same alloy of which american nickels are struck today. Jan 28, 2002 the 1882 shield nickel has the highest mintage over 11 million of any no rays date other than the 18671869 group. For the first 2 years it was produced, the coin also had rays in between the stars on the reverse. Be sure to visit our shield nickel forum if you need help. The reverse of 1868 exhibits a different placement of the reverse stars, which point to the midpoint.
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