The nickel five-cent pieces of 1883. Again we have three coins of three different types minted in the same year: 1883 Shield nickel. MS-60 $100. The 1883 Shield design typifies a motif used since 1866. Designed by James B. Longacre, the obverse shield is somewhat similar to that found on the two-cent piece of 1864, also by Longacre. The Shield nickel made its debut in 1866 at a time when silver coins were not seen in circulation (payment of same having been stopped by the Treasury Department in 1862, not to resume until 1873). The new nickel coin, actually containing more copper than nickel (three parts copper to one part nickel alloy), became immediately popular, and the denomination continues its popularity today. 1883 Liberty nickel without CENTS. MS-60 $35. In 1883 Charles E. Barber, drawing on pattern designs made as early as 1881, redesigned the obverse of the nickel to the Liberty Head style. Now the nickel depicted Miss Liberty with a coronet, said to have been modeled after the goddess Diana, encircled by 13 stars and the date. The reverse of the first issue bore the denomination expressed as the Roman letter V, without any mention of the word CENTS, leading some unscrupulous individuals to gold plate the pieces and pass them as $5 coins of comparable diameter. 1883 Liberty nickel with CENTS. MS-60 $100. Recognizing the mistake in design, the Mint quickly corrected the reverse of the Liberty Head nickel to add the word CENTS, thus creating the third major type of the year.
1942 Mercury dime. MS-63 $12. I have selected this dime as an inexpensive example of the 1916-1945 Mercury motif. Other dates could be picked as well, including 1916, the first year of issue, which catalogues $60. In 1916, Adolph A. Weinman, a well-known sculptor, was commissioned to prepare designs, and he created the Winged Liberty Head dime and the Walking Liberty half dollar. Miss Liberty, with wings on her head, soon became known as "Mercury," although Mercury, the messenger of classical mythology, was male and had wings on his feet! The reverse is dominated by a fasces, or bundle of sticks, an ancient symbol of unity. Mercury dimes and the other new silver motifs of 1916 represented a new artistic era in American coinage and were widely heralded at the time of issue. From then until the style was discontinued in 1945, pieces were collected avidly, and they still are. Upon the passing of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945, it was determined to redesign the dime to include his portrait, for during his life he had been associated with the March of Dimes.
PCGS Coin Guide Table Of Contents
