Values
A Shield nickel’s market depends on the date, whether it has rays, the grade, and the carbon. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC named no traditional key-date list for this series in this pass. This page will not invent one. Do not call 1880 a key on this chart just because NGC printed a small count.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common date is still worn.
Errors
These are named varieties. This page will not invent a count.
Rays versus no rays. The Mint dropped the rays in 1867. That is a design change, not an error. 1867 has both types on this chart.
1873 Closed 3 versus Open 3. Two shapes of the 3. NGC printed a Closed 3 split. Open 3 mintage was blank, so that variety sits under the 1873 parent without its own count.
1883/2. NGC names an overdate. It is not a mintage row on this chart because this pass did not record a printed count for it.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer Shield page and the PCGS CoinFacts Shield category. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
Rays versus no rays is the design change. The 1873 date punch is the other split guides name. 1877 and 1878 stay proof-only and off this chart.
- With Rays, 1866–1867Rays sit between the stars on the reverse. 1866 is this reverse. 1867 comes both ways.
- No Rays, 1867–1883The Mint dropped the rays in 1867. That is a design change, not an error and not a spec change.
- 1873 Closed 3 and Open 3Two shapes of the 3, the same date-style split other 1873 coins use. It is not a third reverse.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Shield nickels were struck at Philadelphia. The counts below are PCGS CoinFacts figures where that catalog printed them, and NGC Coin Explorer for the years that catalog printed.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1866 | P | 14,742,500 | 13790 | $45 | $150 | $625 |
| 1867 | P No Rays | 28,890,500 | 13794 | $35 | $85 | $325 |
| 1867 | P Rays | 2,019,000 | 13791 | $50 | $175 | $700 |
| 1868 | P | 28,817,000 | 13795 | $35 | $75 | $375 |
| 1869 | P | 16,395,000 | 13796 | $30 | $75 | $300 |
| 1870 | P | 4,806,000 | 13797 | $40 | $115 | $450 |
| 1871 | P | 561,000 | 13798 | $110 | $300 | $950 |
| 1872 | P | 6,036,000 | 13799 | $50 | $120 | $375 |
| 1873 | P | 4,550,000 NGC printed this 1873 total. Closed 3 has its own NGC split. Open 3 mintage was blank. | 13800 | $50 | $100 | $600 |
| 1873 | P Open 3 | — Pamphlet does not split this variety from the mintage above. | 815985 | $50 | $100 | $600 |
| 1873 | P Closed 3 | 436,050 | 815980 | $65 | $175 | $1,150 |
| 1874 | P | 3,538,000 | 13803 | $45 | $110 | $400 |
| 1875 | P | 2,097,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1876 | P | 2,530,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1879 | P | 29,100 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | P | 16,000 | 13810 | $2,750 | $5,500 | $32,500 |
| 1881 | P | 68,800 | 13811 | $350 | $650 | $1,850 |
| 1882 | P | 11,472,900 | 13812 | $35 | $70 | $335 |
| 1883 | P | 1,456,919 | — | — | — | — |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: PCGS CoinFacts. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
1875, 1876, 1879, and 1883 are the Wikipedia without-rays counts. 1877 and 1878 stay off because they are proof-only. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer.
Read the date. Read the rays. Look at the shield and the ball before you argue type.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
A Shield nickel is 75/25 cupronickel on a 20.5 mm planchet. Rays versus no rays is a design change. That is not a spec change. The current Mint nickel diameter is not this series.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Thickness | 1.95 mm |
| Weight | 5 g |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Thickness 1.95 mm, weight 5 g, and diameter 20.5 mm are the Numista type-page figures for Rays (N#14852) and No Rays (N#4411). That 20.5 mm diameter is this series. The current U.S. Mint 21.21 mm nickel is not. Rays versus no rays is a design change, not a spec change.
Grading
A Shield nickel wears first on the shield, the ball, and the stars around the 5. Rays versus no rays is a reverse change in 1867, not a grade.
This is the 20.5 mm historic nickel, not the current 21.21 mm five-cent coin. Carbon spots are common. They are not a grade.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The shield and the ball | The vertical stripes and the ball at the bottom of the shield. | Those high points flatten first. A leftover star does not save a slick shield. |
| Rays and stars | Whether rays sit between the stars, and how sharp the stars are. | 1866–1867 Rays versus 1867–1883 No Rays is a design change. Missing rays on a later date are the type, not wear. |
| The 5 | The large numeral on the reverse. | The 5 is the value. If it is a smear, the reverse has been in a pocket. |
| Date | The numerals, and whether 1873 is Closed 3 or Open 3. | Closed 3 versus Open 3 is a date style. A worn date is a worn nickel. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. PCGS CoinFacts is the catalog page for this series. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a Shield nickel if you already know the type.
- The shield, the ball, and the stars are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this Shield nickel are already slick.
- The shield, the ball, and the stars are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1868 is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- The shield, the ball, and the stars are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- The shield, the ball, and the stars are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. The shield, the ball, and the stars still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on the shield, the ball, and the stars. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1868 is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean Shield nickel for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on the shield, the ball, and the stars.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proof Shield nickels exist, and some years are proof-only. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply here. Those belong on bronze coins such as the two-cent piece. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A Shield nickel is a United States five-cent coin with a shield on the front and a large 5 in a circle of stars on the back. Collectors mean the coins struck from 1866 through 1883. People also call it the Shield five-cent. Both names point at the same Longacre design.
People like them because the type starts the nickel story. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped nickel looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else. Carbon spots are common.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
The Mint introduced the cupronickel five-cent in 1866. Rays sat between the stars at first. In 1867 the rays come off. Liberty Head nickels begin in 1883. This page stops at the Shield.
This page will not invent a shop list or a missing-year mintage to fill the chart.
Design
Obverse: a shield, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the date. Reverse: a large 5, stars, and — on the early type — rays, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “CENTS.” There is no mint mark on Philadelphia.
Look at the shield, the ball, and the stars. Those spots go flat first. Rays versus no rays is a type call.
People Also Ask
What years are Shield nickels?
Circulation Shield nickels were struck from 1866 through 1883 at Philadelphia. Rays run 1866 into 1867. No Rays runs 1867 through 1883. 1877 and 1878 are proof-only and stay off this chart.
How much is a Shield nickel worth?
It depends on the date, whether it has rays, the grade, and the carbon. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
What is Rays versus no rays?
Rays between the stars on the reverse. The Mint dropped them in 1867. That is a design change, not a spec change and not an error.
Why are some years missing?
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC printed most of the circulation dates. 1875, 1876, 1879, and 1883 are the Wikipedia without-rays business strikes. 1877 and 1878 are proof-only and stay off.
Is this the same size as a modern nickel?
No. Numista prints 20.5 mm for this series. The current U.S. Mint nickel is 21.21 mm. This page will not copy the modern diameter onto Longacre’s Shield.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story. A common No Rays in a high grade can cost more than a better date that has already lost its shield. That is normal.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the 5 to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees nickels every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.”
If you collect by type, one honest circulated No Rays will teach you the shield. For the Liberty Head that follows, read the Liberty Head nickel. For the three-cent nickel struck beside it, read the three-cent nickel.
A Final Word
Shield nickels reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read the rays. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the next five-cent type, the Liberty Head nickel is already here.