Shield Nickel Value Chart: Every Date From 1866 to 1883

The dates to check first

These are the lowest-mintage Shield nickels struck for circulation. If you're sorting a jar or an inherited collection, pull these dates out before anything else and check the mint mark carefully.

1. 1880 Shield Nickel: 16,000 made.
2. 1879 Shield Nickel: 25,900 made.
3. 1881 Shield Nickel: 68,800 made.
4. 1871 Shield Nickel: 561,000 made.
5. 1883 Shield Nickel: 1,451,500 made.
6. 1867 Shield Nickel, With Rays: 2,019,000 made.

Every shield nickel by date and mint

Click any date for its full page: how many were made, the mint mark location, varieties and what to check. Mint marks matter: the same year can be common from one mint and scarce from another.

The series in 4 stages

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.

High output then a glut (1868 to 1872)

With the rays gone, the Mint struck nearly 29 million nickels in each of 1867 and 1868 and another 16.4 million in 1869. The market was soon flooded with minor coins. In 1871 Congress allowed the redemption of surplus nickels and cents, sending large numbers back to the Treasury. Production fell to 4.8 million in 1870 and to only 561,000 in 1871, the low point of this period and a scarce date today.

Open 3, Closed 3 and the proof only years (1873 to 1878)

The 1873 date punch first had a Closed 3 that looked too much like an 8, so it was replaced by an Open 3 during the year. Both varieties exist. The Closed 3 is scarcer and includes a doubled date. The Panic of 1873 and the lingering surplus of minor coins cut demand. Output fell from 3.5 million in 1874 to between 2 and 2.5 million in 1875 and 1876.

Tiny business strikes and the final year (1879 to 1883)

With the glut still in place, business strikes stayed tiny from 1879 to 1881. Only about 25,900 were made in 1879, 16,000 in 1880 and 68,800 in 1881. The 1880 is the rarest business strike of the series. For these years proofs survive in larger numbers than circulation strikes, so worn coins are the real prize. The 1879 includes a proof 9 over 8 overdate.

Decade by decade

• 1860s: 5 issues, 91 million coins. Scarcest: 1867, With Rays (2,019,000).
• 1870s: 8 issues, 24 million coins. Scarcest: 1879 (25,900).
• 1880s: 4 issues, 13 million coins. Scarcest: 1880 (16,000).

Where to find the mint mark

• 1866 to 1883: No mint mark. All struck in Philadelphia.

Identifying and grading Shield nickels

Check the leaves around the shield and the horizontal lines within it. The hard alloy meant weak strikes were common, so sharpness adds value.

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.

What the value bands mean

• Face value: worth its face in worn condition; only uncirculated coins and varieties carry a premium.
• Small premium: sells for a little over face or metal value even when worn.
• Collector premium: scarcer than usual, so worn coins sell well above face or metal value.
• Significant rarity: a key date, valuable in any condition and often faked.

Bands describe a coin in ordinary circulated condition. An uncirculated coin with full original luster sits a band or more higher. Recognized varieties can be worth far more than the date itself.