Jacques T. asks:Â Can you tell me if there is another nickname for the USA five-cent coin, besides the obvious “nickel”? Your help will be much appreciated!
Not in the 20th Century. There was a time in the late 18th and 19th century (1794-1873) when 5 cent coins were minted in silver, they were called half dimes. For the prototype 1792 issue alone, the denomination was spelled half disme but pronounced like the word “steam” but with a “d”.
Prior to 1858 when Spanish and Spanish Colonial coins still circulated in the United States as legal tender, worn silver 1/2 reales circulated as the equivalent of a half dime and were called “medios”.
