Why was the Half Dime minted 6 years past the introduction of the Sheild Nickel?
Broadstruck
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Just pondering why the silver Seated Half Dime was minted until 1873... 6 years after the introduction of the Shield Nickel in 1866 
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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By 1873 there was a desire to remove superfluous and redundant denominations since both copper-nickel and silver five cent pieces were circulating and Gresham's Law was helping to drive the silver five cent coin out of circulation. As the five-cent nickel retained some acceptance in the marketplace, the Mint Act of 1873 authorized the elimination of the half dime (and the silver three cent piece which hadn't been produced in any real quantity since 1862).
<< <i>Just pondering why the silver Seated Half Dime was minted until 1873... 6 years after the introduction of the Shield Nickle in 1866
The nickel coins were legal tender only up to 25 cents, since they were not gold or silver. The nickel coin was intended to replace fractional currency notes with a metal coin that also had little metal value. Branch mints were prohibited from making coins other than gold or silver until 1908
And, oh yeah, the silver mining interests owned a fair share of the members of Congress.
CG
Just received a copy of Al Blythe's Guide to Half Dimes and flipping through it this was the first thought that crossed my mind as I never paid any attention to the lengthy overlap of two denomination with the same face value.
Chicolini: Mint? No, no, I no like a mint. Uh - what other flavor you got?
<< <i>coinmickey, Thanks for catching my spelling error
Sorry, did not mean to be obnoxious. That spelling of "nickel" makes me mental...
I also hate that the only half-dime I ever had I sold. It was a REALLY nice MS63 with light toning...
Chicolini: Mint? No, no, I no like a mint. Uh - what other flavor you got?
<< <i>It is human nature to resist change. >>
That is what all of the dancers claim when I try and tip with quarters.
<< <i> << It is human nature to resist change. >>
That is what all of the dancers claim when I try and tip with quarters.
Yet somehow I suspect they would be the one entity which would NOT resist "change" when it came to using $2 bills...
Just pondering why the silver Seated Half Dime was minted until 1873... 6 years after the introduction of the Shield Nickel in 1866.
The five-cent copper-nickel coin was introduced, as noted by other posters in this thread,
to provide change and remove the five-cent notes from use. Silver coins did not circulate
east of California after 1862 and the coinage at Philadelphia was for special purposes,
not circulation among the public. In 1873 it was decided to make the five-cent copper-nickel
coin permanent and the half dime was abolished.
Silver coins began to circulate once more in the East from the summer of 1873.
Denga
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
<< <i>
<< <i>coinmickey, Thanks for catching my spelling error
Sorry, did not mean to be obnoxious. That spelling of "nickel" makes me mental...
According to Webster's...
Main Entry:
nick·el
Variant(s):
also nick·le
it's dark in those places.....convince them they are susan b. anthonies
greg
www.brunkauctions.com
Frozen IKE's work really good with dancers... make sure your not holding a drink!
<< <i>Why are half dollars and dollars still struck even though no one uses them
and cents
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>coinmickey, Thanks for catching my spelling error
Sorry, did not mean to be obnoxious. That spelling of "nickel" makes me mental...
According to Webster's...
Main Entry:
nick·el
Variant(s):
also nick·le >>
Hmmm...interesting. Can't find that variant in my OED though. I'll do some more investigating. Mabye I am indeed mental...
Chicolini: Mint? No, no, I no like a mint. Uh - what other flavor you got?