FrostbyteCoins
Nickel · $0.05
1865 Pattern & Experimental Coins
Key Features
- Judd-416, struck in nickel - Related: Judd-417 (copper), Judd-418 (nickel), Judd-419 (copper) - Value guide: about $3,500 to $12,500 (Greysheet CPG)
Intriguing History
A year before Congress created the nickel five-cent coin, the Mint was already testing five-cent patterns in nickel and copper, Judd-416 to Judd-419. Silver half dimes had disappeared during the Civil War, and on March 3, 1865, Congress approved a three-cent coin made of copper and nickel. These patterns show the Mint getting ready for a five-cent coin made of nickel.