Mintages
| Year | Proofs | Circulation strikes |
|---|---|---|
| 1866 | 600+ | 14,742,500 |
| 1867 with rays | 25+ | 2,019,000 |
| 1867 without rays | 600+ | 28,890,500 |
| 1868 | 600+ | 28,817,000 |
| 1869 | 600+ | 16,395,000 |
| 1870 | 1,000+ | 4,806,000 |
| 1871 | 960+ | 561,000 |
| 1872 | 950+ | 6,036,000 |
| 1873 closed 3 | 1,100+ | 436,050 (est.) |
| 1873 open 3 | 0 | 4,113,950 (est.) |
| 1874 | 700+ | 3,538,000 |
| 1875 | 700+ | 2,097,000 |
| 1876 | 1,150+ | 2,530,000 |
| 1877 proof only | 510+ | 0 |
| 1878 proof only | 2,350 | 0 |
| 1879 | 3,200 | 25,900 |
| 1880 | 3,955 | 16,000 |
| 1881 | 3,575 | 68,800 |
| 1882 | 3,100 | 11,472,900 |
| 1883 | 5,419 | 1,451,500 |
Shield nickel proof mintages from before 1878 are modern estimates and may vary—for example, Bowers estimates 800–1,200 for the 1866 piece, while Peters estimates 375+. The issue is complicated by the fact that restrikes were made of proofs, sometimes years after the inscribed date. Mint officials, despite what Bowers terms "official denials (a.k.a. lies)", reused dies which had supposedly been destroyed to strike pieces for favored collectors or dealers. This practice led to incongruous pieces, with a dated obverse mated with a reverse not placed in use until years later.
All pieces struck at the Philadelphia mint, without mintmark.
Read more about this topic: Shield Nickel