READ ALSO: The Lincoln errors worth up to $13,000 According to the U.S. Mint, the five-cent coin or nickel was created in 1866. At that time, the units were known as “shield coins.” ...

These first nickels were known as “Shield nickels” and were produced ... though it wasn’t the country’s first 5-cent coin. That honor goes to a “half-dime” that first appeared in ...