The 1874 Shield Nickel is the perfect type coin as it is both extremely common yet has a far lower mintage (just over 3.5 million) than earlier type coin issues. Affordable and accessible into the finest grades because the relatively low mintage does not command a premium, making it a great coin for collectors.
| coinage-type | Shield nickel |
| desg | MS |
| designer | James B. Longacre |
| diameter | 20.5 |
| edge | Plain |
| material | 75% copper; 25% nickel |
| mintage | 3,538,000 |
| ngc-id | 22P9 |
| obverse-description | A shield flanked on the left and right by leaves topped with a cross with arrows positioned behind at the bottom so the arrow heads and shanks protrude at the sides. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST appears at the top periphery with the date positioned at the bottom center. |
| pcgs-link | 3803 |
| pcgs-number | 3803 |
| reverse-description | A large numeral 5 surrounded by 13 stars centered in the design with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA * CENTS around the periphery. |
| weight-grams | 5 |
| year-display | 1867-1883 |