Coins

The Shield Nickel was designed by James B. Longacre and was only produced from 1866 to 1883.

For the first two years it was produced, the coin also had rays in between the stars on the reverse. Later in 1867, the rays were removed from the coin.

How Much Are Shield Nickels Worth?
When you get into pricing the shield nickels you'll find that even the common dates are worth quite a bit more than any of the other types of nickels. So I'll list them all here:

1883 3/2 - $180.00-$375.00
1883 - $18.00-$55.00
1882 - $18.00-$60.00
1881 - $250.00-$500.00
1880 - $450.00-$1200.00
1879 - $350.00-$750.00
1878 Proofs Only - $1100.00
1877 Proofs Only - $2000.00
1876 - $35.00-$120.00
1875 - $35.00-$125.00
1874 - $28.00-$100.00
1873 Open 3 - $25.00-$75.00
1873 Closed 3 - $28.00-$135.00
1872 - $30.00-$100.00
1871 - $65.00-$225.00
1870 - $25.00-$80.00
1869 - $18.00-$60.00
1868 - $18.00-$60.00
1867 No Rays - $18.00-$60.00
1867 With Rays - $35.00-$190.00
1866 With Rays - $25.00-$160.00

See what I mean?

Check out this picture of a shield nickel.

If you're a beginner or on a low budget collection, then the shield nickel set probably isn't for you just yet.

I've been collecting for a while now and have thousands of coins in my collection, but I still haven't even attempted to get the shield nickel set just yet. Maybe when I win the lottery...