1879 Shield Nickel
Base
About This Coin
The 1879 Shield Nickel is a United States nickel from the Shield Nickels 1866-1883 series — 14th of 18 years in the series. In 1879, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 32,300. This ranks 4th 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. Proof-only year. Mintage limited to proof sets for collectors. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 20.5 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Struck two years after the 1877 key date, the lowest-mintage regular issue in the series. Across its variants, estimated values range from $527 to $2.8K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $84K in PR69 grade at Heritage Auctions. 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.
