5 Cents '1866 Nickel' Pattern

The 1866 nickel five-cent patterns emerged from a deliberate congressional push to eliminate silver from small-denomination coinage — a direct consequence of the wartime hoarding that had stripped circulating coins from everyday commerce since 1862. James Pollock's Philadelphia Mint produced multiple experimental compositions that year as legislators debated the precise alloy. The 75% copper, 25% nickel blend ultimately adopted was a compromise, chosen partly because Joseph Wharton, who controlled the country's primary nickel deposits, lobbied aggressively for a high-nickel specification.

Judd-466a is struck in bronze, distinguishing it from the standard copper-nickel Judd-466 despite sharing the same dies.