In the United States and Canada, the 5-cent coin is commonly known as a nickel.
However, it’s worth noting that the first 5-cent coin minted in the US was not called a nickel, but rather a “half disme” (or half dime) and was made of silver. The copper-nickel 5-cent coin, eventually dubbed the “Shield nickel”, was introduced in 1866. The term “nickel” became the standard for the 5-cent coin after the half dime was discontinued in 1873. This was even true for the “War Nickels” minted during World War II, which contained silver rather than nickel due to wartime metal shortages.
Beyond North America, other countries use their own names for their 5-cent coins, such as:
- Australia : 5-cent coin
- New Zealand : 5-cent coin (withdrawn in 2006)
- Hong Kong : 5-cent coin (withdrawn in 1989)
- Singapore : 5-cent coin
- Brunei : 5-cent coin
- Netherlands (prior to Euro adoption): Stuiver
- Eurozone countries : 5 cent euro coin
- South Africa : 5-cent coin
What do they call 5 cents?
Thanks for asking. This is the five-cent coin. The common name for the five-cent coin is a nickel.
What is the nickname for nickel?
Great question! It was seen as a copper alloy that copper could not be gotten from, hence the Devil’s Copper, or kupfernickel. Kupfernickel is a name that referred to a mischievous goblin miner, Nickel or Old Nick, that miners blamed for a failure to produce copper from nickel ores that were found.
Is 5 cents a penny?
So two half-doll coins equal $1. And obviously a $1 coin equals $1 have you ever used a dollar coin instead of a dollar. Bill could be kind of fun.