The 1876 Shield Nickel is a great type coin because it is both very common in most grades and has a far lower mintage (just over 2.5 million) than earlier type coin issues. Affordable and accessible up to the finest grades because this relatively low mintage does not command a premium until high gem grades. Die cracks are frequently seen on this date but so is high-quality luster, which can be found with a bit of searching.
| coinage-type | Shield nickel |
| desg | MS |
| designer | James B. Longacre |
| diameter | 20.5 |
| edge | Plain |
| material | 75% copper; 25% nickel |
| mintage | 2,530,000 |
| ngc-id | 22PB |
| 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 | 3805 |
| pcgs-number | 3805 |
| 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 |