Two more little somethings for shield nickel fans.

[RWB]

Enjoy these.

 

Approval of diameter of shield nickel....

 

May 23, 1866

James Pollock

Director of the Mint

 

Sir,

Your letter of the 21st instant is received requesting a certified copy of the Act to authorize the coinage of five cent pieces [of copper-nickel], which is herewith enclosed.

 

You also enclose planchets of the proposed new five cent piece of the weight required by law, and of the diameter selected showing the size of the coins; the diameter being, as you say, just two “centimeters” or twenty “millimeters,” so that fifty pieces laid in a straight line will make the meter or unit of French measure; each piece being so nearly eight-tenths of an inch in diameter, that no ordinary measurement would detect the difference.

 

The diameter of the coin is hereby approved, and you are authorized to prepare the planchets and forward specimen coins for approval, as required by the Act, and proposed in your letter.

 

Hugh McCullough

Secretary of the Treasury

 

[RG104, entry 215, vol 12]

 

 

Selection of the design....

 

May 30, 1866

James Pollock

Director of the Mint

 

Sir,

Your letter of the 28th instant is received transmitting for selection and approval three specimens of five cent pieces, the coinage of which has been recently authorized.

 

The specimen distinguished in your letter as “No. 1 – Obverse, the Union Shield resting on tied arrows, [xxxx] etc., motto, ‘In God we Trust’ and date.”

 

“Reverse, - 13 stars set in rays, U.S. of America and figure, etc. ‘5 cents,’ ” is selected and approved, and you are hereby authorized to cause to be struck coins of this denomination in accordance with the Act approved May 16, 1866.

 

Hugh McCullough

Secretary of the Treasury

[RG104, entry 215, vol 12]

 

[skippy]

Thank you!!!

[thebeav]

With all the die cracks and die breaks that you see on shield nickels, with nickel being so darn hard, the mint had to learn an awful lot about hardening steel throughout the early years of production. You know ?

 

Paul

[RWB]

Nickel alloys require careful annealing under conditions not needed for the other alloys the mint used. It took them a long time to work through the problems. After 1883 most of the five cent CuNi blanks were purchased from Scoville.

[CaptHenway]

They knew how to harden steel, The problem was, they did not know how to soften 75:25 copper-nickel.

 

Would have worked better had they used the 88:12 alloy of the white cents, but the nickel lobby wanted them to use more nickel.

 

And RWB, I love details like this! Never heard that the diameter was metric like the weight, and that multiple coins could be used as a measuring device, like the French ten centimes.

 

TD

[physics-fan3.14]

I like the clarification and description of the metric system. The "unit of French measure." That's funny.

[RWB]

Many "reasons" for decisions rest on presently obscure ideas. In 1866, the metric system was the international "rage" and all sorts of things were attempted to make it part of everyday life --- such as making a meter length with pocket change.