Liberty Nickel, 1886
Permalink
https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/a9964260-0d92-0135-23f6-0050569601ca-8
Copyright Not Evaluated
Descriptive Information
| Title | Liberty Nickel, 1886 |
| Description | Liberty is shown in profile wearing a crown. Thirteen stars representing the thirteen colonies are shown around the edge and the coin bears the date. |
| Interpretation | The coin we call a "nickel" originated as a silver half-disme (dime) in 1792. The first half-disme coins were ordered struck by President Washington and he provided the bullion for them. They were not put into circulation. The half-dime size continued for seventy-nine years, even though its small size made it very inconvenient. In 1883 the Liberty Head or "V" nickel replaced a shield design. The first nickel five-cent coin was the shield type struck in 1866. It was three-fourths copper and one-fourth nickel. Source: Taxay, Don. New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1966. |
| Lesson Plans / Themes | |
| Learning Standards | |
| Author or Creator | Illinois Heritage Association |
| Other Contributors | City of Champaign |
| Source | These coins came from a copper box placed in the Champaign City Building when it was built in 1889. The box contained some small articles and documents. When a new Champaign City Building was dedicated in 1938, additional articles were added to the box and it was placed behind a bronze plaque in the new lobby. In 1998, the box was retrieved and the contents examined. Some of the items will be returned to a time capsule to be placed in the city building. |
| Subject / Keywords | |
| Temporal Coverage | 1886 |
| Collection Publisher | Illinois Heritage Association |
| Rights | Copyright Not Evaluated |
| Resource Identifier | IHA00225 |
| Date Created | 02/18/03 |
| Collection Title | Teaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community) |
| Collection | Teaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community) |
Download Options
|
Liberty Nickel, Obverse: 1886 | |
|
Liberty Nickel, Reverse: 1886 |