The common five-cent coin in the United States is universally known as the “nickel.” This raises the question of whether the currency is actually made of the element that gives it its name. The answer is not a simple yes, but rather a description of a specific metal mixture that has been standard for more than a century. Examining the coin’s composition, the properties of the element, and the history of its material changes provides a complete picture.
Composition of the Modern Five-Cent Coin
The current U.S. five-cent coin is not made of pure nickel, but a precise combination of two base metals. It is composed of a cupronickel alloy, which is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel by weight. This mixture has been the official standard for the coin since 1946, following a temporary deviation during World War II.
The cupronickel alloy provides several benefits for mass circulation. The nickel significantly increases the metal’s hardness, making the coin more durable and resistant to wear. The alloy is also highly resistant to corrosion and oxidation, ensuring the coins maintain their integrity over long periods. Unlike the dime, quarter, and half-dollar, the five-cent coin is not a clad coin but a solid, homogeneous mixture throughout its 1.95 mm thickness.
Characteristics of the Element Nickel
The element nickel (atomic number 28) is a transition metal with distinct properties desirable for coinage. It is a lustrous, silvery-white metal that possesses high malleability and ductility. One of the element’s most notable characteristics is its ferromagnetism, meaning it is magnetic at room temperature, similar to iron and cobalt.
Nickel is valued in metallurgy for its resistance to corrosion and high temperatures, leading to its use in alloys like stainless steel. The metal is harder than iron and exhibits a melting point of approximately 1455 degrees Celsius.
Wartime Materials and the Coin’s History
The five-cent coin earned its common name because it was the first U.S. coin to contain a significant amount of the metal upon its introduction in 1866. The previous five-cent coin was the small silver “half dime.” However, the new copper-nickel piece was so novel that the term “nickel” quickly became its popular identifier. This nickname persisted even when the coin’s metallic content had to be drastically altered.
A major deviation from the standard cupronickel composition occurred during World War II, specifically between mid-1942 and 1945. Nickel became a strategic metal needed for defense purposes, such as armor plating and various military equipment. To conserve this material, the U.S. Mint temporarily removed all nickel from the coin’s formulation, substituting it with a different blend.
The resulting “War Nickels” were instead made of an alloy consisting of 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver, and 9 percent manganese. These temporary coins were easily distinguished by a large mint mark placed directly above the depiction of Monticello on the reverse side. This change included the first appearance of a “P” mint mark for coins struck in Philadelphia. Following the end of the war, the familiar name “nickel” had already become permanent.