Butting Heads Over the Liberty Head Nickel
IN MAY 1866 President Andrew Johnson signed into law an act creating the 5-cent piece, or “nickel” as it is called at the present time. It was created at a time when there was an ongoing shortage of coins and plays a prominent role in American numismatic history.
Prior to the Civil War the 5-cent piece (the half dime) was made out of silver but war and inflation meant that such coins were widely hoarded. Its replacement by the copper-nickel version in the midst of these problems set off an enormous demand that took the Philadelphia Mint several years to fill. By 1869, however, coinage began to taper off and during the 1870s gradually slid downhill. In 1876 the Treasury stopped mintage because too many nickels were in daily use and were beginning to flow back to the subtreasuries.
It was not until late 1881 that demand revived but earlier that year Philadelphia Mint Superintendent A. Loudon Snowden decided that the time had come not only to redesign the minor coins, but use a copper-nickel alloy for all three denominations, including the cent. He instructed Chief Engraver Charles Barber to work out the necessary designs and strike pattern coins for his inspection.
There seems to be a belief among numismatists that coinage designs spring solely from the minds of the
