1880 5C Shield Nickel PCGS AU53 (CAC)

Lowest mintage in series -- 16,000!

Take advantage of this opportunity to acquire a true rarity in the Shield Nickel series. PCGS has graded only 3 as AU53, with 43 finer. In CAC, there is 1 in AU53 with 9 finer.

Such a low mintage may have not been related to circulation demand whatsoever, for it was the Mint's policy to mint a few thousand non-proofs every year in order to satisfy collectors who did not wish to order proof examples, as well as keep the denomination in progress. Such low mintages were common for both quarters and halves during the 1880s. Those 1880 Shield nickels that are certifiably non-proofs are indeed quite rare in Mint State grades, as the 25 pieces graded as such in the PCGS population report attest.

However, it is possible that worn proof specimens made their way into general circulation, for the Mint State 1880s were typically prooflike to some measure. Combine that with the knowledge that actual proof 1880 nickels were made poorly and it becomes difficult to distinguish them from one another in circulated grades.

Artist-engraver James B. Longacre, who crafted the design for the Shield Nickel series (1866-1883).

Ron Guth writes,

Among all the Shield Nickels, the 1880 has the lowest mintage of any circulation strike date in the series. The problem with this situation is that the low mintage consists primarily of Prooflike examples. Thus, a poorly made proof example, of which there are many, is often presented as a circulation strike, which is worth considerably more than a Proof. To counter this, we recommend dealing only in certified examples, because these have been checked out and vetted by the experts at PCGS.