1871 Shield Nickel
Base
About This Coin
The 1871 Shield Nickel is a United States nickel from the Shield Nickels 1866-1883 series — 6th of 18 years in the series. In 1871, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 561,960. This ranks 6th of 18 years by total mintage, below the series median of 3.2 million. The obverse features a large Union shield with a motto ribbon and crossed arrows behind it and the reverse displays a large numeral 5 within a circle of stars, without rays. Low-mintage year at Philadelphia with only about 561,000 business strikes. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 20.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Produced 6 years before the celebrated 1877 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $100 to $997 depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $12K in PR67 grade at Stack's Bowers. Designed by James Barton Longacre.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
