Tuesday 21st May 2013

Five Cent Menu

Overview of U.S. Five Cent Coins

Half Dimes

The Mint Act passed by Congress on April 2, 1792, provided that ". . . the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars or units, dismes or tenths, cents or hundredths, . . . a disme being the tenth part of a dollar . . ." It seemed very fitting that this country, born of revolution, should use a revolutionary system for coinage.

The first decimal coin struck was the William Russell Birch designed pattern half dismes of 1792. While struck by Mint officials, the Mint building had not been built at that time. This small mintage (1,500) was only an experiment. The coins were made in the cellar of Harper's building at Sixth and Cherry Streets In Philadelphia. The limited strike was most likely, according to Walter Breen, half dismes in order to make economical use of the $75 worth of silver bullion, which was all they had on hand at the time. Legends tell us that at least some were coined from silverware provided by Martha Washington.

It wasn't until 1795 that regular minting of the half dime began, though the first examples were coined from dies dated 1794. Robert Scot's Flowing Hair design was widely criticized for its scrawny eagle and its portrayal of Miss Liberty in a "fright wig."

• Type 1 Small Eagle 1796-1797
• Type 2 Large Eagle 1800-1805

• Type 1 No Stars (1837 - 1838)
• Type 2 Stars No Drapery (1838 - ?)
• Type 3 Stars and Draper (1838 - 1853)(1856-1859)
• Type 4 Arrows at Date (1853 - 1855)
• Type 5 Legend on Obverse (1860-1873)

5 Cent Nickels

During the war the federal government issued series after series of fractional currency, "shinplasters" as they were known. They were despised by the public. However, the civilian population refused to give up their hording behavior they had acquired during the civil war. Citizens continued to hoard coins that contained precious metal, even copper-nickel cents was held for their limited value. Dispite the pressure from a powerful lobby advocating the use of Nickel in U.S. coins, Mint Director Pollock had been an opponent of nickel coinage for some time. Nickel was difficult to strike; it was hard, brittle and often broke the dies which could cause serious injury to the Mint’s machinery.

The return of silver or gold coins to circulation was slow. When in 1865 another five-cent issue of fractional currency was issued, Pollock decided it was in the nations best interest to produce a five-cent coin made of nickel. Pollock looked at the nickel five-cent piece as a temporary coin that would circulate and replace the universally unpopular fractional notes until such a time as the silver half-dime could return to circulation.

• Type 1 (1866-1883)
• Type 2 (1867)

• Type 1 (1883)
• Type 2 (1883-1912)

• Type 1 (1913)
• Type 2 (1913-1938)

• Type 1 Original Design (1938-1942), and (1945-2003)
• Type 2 Silver Alloy (1942-1945)
• Type 3 Peace Medal (2004)
• Type 4 Keelboat (2004)
• Type 5 American Bison (2005)
• Type 6 Ocean in View (2005)
• Type 7 Monticello (2006 - )