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5 Cents '1884 Nickel' Pattern, aluminium
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round with cutouts |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features a circular arrangement of thirteen stars surrounding a central octagonal cutout, with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA inscribed along the outer periphery and the date 1884 positioned below. The design is executed in a plain, utilitarian style characteristic of experimental pattern coinage, with the pierced center serving as a functional design element intended to distinguish the denomination. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
J-1725 is one of several dozen pattern compositions struck in 1884 as Congress and the Mint explored alternatives to the copper-nickel alloy then in use for the five-cent piece. Aluminum was a serious candidate — not the curiosity it might seem today. In the early 1880s, domestic aluminum production was still prohibitively expensive, and the metal carried genuine novelty and prestige. The Mint struck patterns in aluminum, zinc, and various alloys that year, partly for internal testing and partly, critics alleged, for sale to collectors — a practice that would soon come under sharp congressional scrutiny.