INTRODUCTION
Nickel is the most common contact allergen found in patch testing.1 The diagnosis of nickel allergy is usually straightforward: the skin becomes scaly and eczematous after contact with metal suspenders, metal buttons or clasps (figure 1), medical alert pendants (figure 2), or ear-rings. Because of the nickel content in coins, the change in a patient's pockets can cause an allergic skin reaction. In this article, we discuss the history of nickel as a 3- and 5-cent piece and as the base metal used in most of the coins currently in circulation (figure 3).
Figure 1.
Eczematous plaque on the abdomen of a young boy caused by contact with a metal button on his pants and his belt buckle
Figure 2.
Scaly erythematous plaque on the chest resulting from contact with medic alert pendant
Figure 3.
Top row, from left to right: half dime, 3-cent piece, shield nickel. Bottom row, from left to right: Liberty nickel, buffalo nickel, silver wartime nickel
EARLY HISTORY
In the early years of the United States, foreign coins circulated with US coins because of the shortage of coinage. The Spanish real was legal tender in the United States until 1857.2,3 The term bits came from the chopping of a Spanish 8 real (called a “piece of 8” by buccaneers)2 into 4 equal pieces, each worth 2 reales,—2 bits—or 25 cents. Early United States coinage included unusual denominations, such as the half penny, 2-cent piece, 20-cent piece, and the 3-dollar gold piece.4
Silver half dime
Contrary to popular belief, the first 5-cent piece was not termed a “nickel” but rather the “half dime.” The original term for dime was disme from the French term dixime, which meant one tenth.2,5 The half dime was discontinued in 1873 because of the increasing popularity of the nickel 5-cent piece.6
Nickel 3-cent piece
The first “nickel” was a 3-cent piece produced from 1865 to 1889. It was created in 1851 by the US Mint because the postage for a letter decreased from 5 cents to 3 cents. In 1865, a nickel version of the 3-cent piece was created to introduce a base metal coin to prevent silver hoarding after the Civil War.3 The nickel 3 cent was composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, thus the nickname “nickel” even though it had more copper than nickel. The nickname “copper” was already taken by the 1-cent piece, a term picked up from the English description of a penny.
Shield nickel
Our modern version of the nickel did not come into existence until 1866. After the discovery of gold in 1849, gold was more plentiful than silver, which led to an increase in the relative value of silver and the hoarding of silver coins. During the resulting coin shortage, stamps were used as currency.3 The shortage of silver that followed prompted the US Mint to introduce a base metal coin, the shield nickel, to eventually replace the silver half dime. The shield nickel was made until 1883 and was composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel.
Liberty nickel
In 1883, with the silver half dime out of production, the Mint changed the design of the 5-cent piece. The first series of coins in 1883 did not have the word cents on the reverse, only a large Roman numeral 5 or “V”. Unscrupulous people gold-plated the new nickel and passed the coin as a 5-dollar gold piece, because the 2 coins were about the same size and both had a similar Liberty engraving on the obverse.4
Around this time, famous con artist Josh Tatum supposedly would walk into a store and select a 5-cent item, such as a 5-cent cigar, and tender a 24-karat gold-plated nickel. If the storekeeper noticed it was a nickel, Tatum would simply leave with his purchase. Most of the time, however, he would leave with his purchase and $4.95 in change. When Tatum was eventually apprehended and his case went to trial, the defense attorney asked each storekeeper if Tatum, who could neither speak nor hear, had asked for change back. Every storekeeper testified “no.” Because it was not illegal to gold-plate coins in the 1880s and Tatum did not specifically ask for change back, he was found not guilty. Josh Tatum is often credited with inspiring the term “I was just joshing.” In 1884, this type of counterfeiting stopped when the Mint began to engrave the words Five Cents on the obverse of the nickel.6
The 1913 Liberty nickel was the last of this series and is one of the most valuable coins in the world. One such coin was sold at an auction for $1.485 million.7
Buffalo nickel
James E Fraser designed one of the most popular coins, the buffalo nickel. Similar to the Liberty nickel, this coin had a composition of nickel and copper. The popularity of the coin was attributed to the 2 very American subjects on the obverse and reverse, the American Indian and the buffalo, respectively. The image of the American Indian is a composite of 3 Indian chiefs; the buffalo was modeled on “Black Diamond,” a famous buffalo of the time in New York's Central Park Zoo.2 The buffalo nickel was produced during the Great Depression, and some unemployed men would change the Indian to a portrait of a friend by carving into the coin, thus the name “hobo nickels.”
COINS IN CURRENT USE
Jefferson nickel
The 5-cent piece we use today was first minted in 1938 and has the image of Thomas Jefferson engraved on the obverse. This coin marked the third time the likeness of a past president had been placed on a coin. From 1938 to 1942, the Jefferson nickel had the same weight, diameter, and composition of the buffalo nickel. Because World War II led to shortages of key metals, such as nickel (used for stainless steel) and copper (used for ammunition casings), the Mint changed the composition of the Jefferson nickel in 1942 to copper, silver, and manganese. These nickels have a large P, D, or S above the engraving of Monticello, Jefferson's home, that designates the city of origin of mintage: Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco, respectively (figure 4). This composition continued until the end of the war in 1945. In 1946, the Mint resumed the traditional composition of nickel and copper.
Figure 4.
Dimethylglyoxime test used to demonstrate nickel content shows wartime nickel at left is free of nickel (clean swab after contact), whereas Jefferson nickel at right contains nickel (pink on cotton swab)
Dimes, quarters, halves, and dollars
The “shiny-colored” coins—the dime, quarter, and half dollar—are made of a sandwiched composite with 2 surfaces made of 75% copper and 25% nickel over a copper core. The new golden dollar has a composition of 77% copper, 12% zinc, 7% manganese, and 4% nickel. The central core of the new coin is copper. Because the surface of the coin has a significant amount of nickel, we expect this coin may be a cause of nickel dermatitis.
CONCLUSION
The dimes, quarters, and half dollars in circulation today are a clad form of coin with a surface made of 25% nickel and 75% copper and a core of 100% copper.4 The 1-cent coin is made of a zinc core with copper plating. Because of the nickel in the 5-cent piece and the surface composition of the clad coins, people with nickel allergy may experience an allergic reaction after handling nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars.
Summary points
Nickel is the most common contact allergen found in patch testing
Nickel coins are a cause of dermatitis
Over the years, United States coinage has included nickel in many coins made for circulation
Today, the dime, quarter, and half dollar in circulation are a clad form of coin with a surface made of 25% nickel and 75% copper and a core of 100% copper
Competing interests: None declared
References
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