1866 Shield Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 14,742,500 made
- Mintage
- 14,742,500 (includes proofs)
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 20.5 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1866 Shield Nickel worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1866 Shield Nickel rare?
- No. 15 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1866 Shield Nickel silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1866 Shield Nickel?
- No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1866 are scarcer?
- The 1871 at 561,000, the 1867, With Rays at 2,019,000, the 1870 at 4,806,000. So the 1866 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1866 Shield Nickel coins were made?
- 14,742,500.
What to check on your 1866
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the leaves around the shield and the horizontal lines within it. The hard alloy meant weak strikes were common, so sharpness adds value.
The story of the 1866
1866 was the first year of the Shield Nickel. Philadelphia struck 14,742,500 of them. The next year it made 2 million (1867).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1866 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Shield Nickel in 17 issues between 1866 and 1883. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1880 (16,000). Among the 1860s issues, only the 1867, With Rays had a smaller run.
Rays on the reverse (1866 to 1867)
Congress authorized the copper-nickel five-cent piece on May 16, 1866, partly to replace the small paper notes issued during the Civil War and partly at the urging of nickel interests led by Joseph Wharton. James Longacre's shield design was struck in large numbers, with 14.7 million made in 1866. The reverse showed a large 5 inside a ring of 13 stars with rays between them.
The rays made the hard alloy even more difficult to strike, so early in 1867 they were removed. Only about 2 million 1867 nickels have rays, which makes that variety scarce next to the 28.9 million without rays. Coins from both years often show die cracks, weak stars and soft shield lines. Repunched dates turn up regularly. Survivors are usually gray to light tan and often show wear on the shield and the top of the cross.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1866
The five-cent nickel arrived in 1866 with the Shield design. The motto "In God We Trust" was added to silver dollars, half dollars, quarters and the larger gold coins.
How to recognize it
A shield topped by a cross and framed by laurel and arrows fills the obverse, with IN GOD WE TRUST above and the date below. The reverse has a large numeral 5 inside a ring of 13 stars, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and CENTS around it. Coins from 1866 and early 1867 also have rays between the stars. The hard nickel alloy often left dates and stars weakly struck.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Shield Nickel (1866–1883) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 14,742,500 (includes proofs) |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.