Why Nickels Are Bigger Than Dimes - Infoplease

Skip to main content

• Browse World World Overview Atlas Countries Disasters News Flags of the World Geography International Relations Religion Statistics Structures & Buildings Travel World Rulers People People Overview Academia & Culture Arts & Entertainment Business Government Newsmakers Science Sports U.S. U.S. Overview Cities U.S. Documents Gender Issues Geography Government News Military Monuments & Landmarks Postal Information Race & Ethnicity States Statistics Arts & Entertainment Sports History History Overview Timelines World History U.S. History Black History Month Hispanic Heritage Month Women's History Month Math & Science Math & Science Overview Aviation Biology Computers & Internet Earth & Environment Health Inventions & Discoveries Mathematics Physics Space Weather Weights & Measures Calendar & Holidays Calendar & Holidays Overview Calendars Holidays Seasons, Months, Days Perpetual Calendar Business Business Overview Business Consumer Resources Currency Economy Employment & Labor Personal Finance Poverty & Income Taxes Primary Sources Primary Sources Overview Books & Plays Fables & Fairy Tales Government History & Biography Philosophy & Religion Poetry Speeches & Essays Ask the Editors View All Questions & Answers
• Tools Conversion Calculator Latitude & Longitude Perpetual Calendar Dictionary Thesaurus Spellcheck Distance Calculator Periodic Table Videos Atlas Encyclopedia
• Games
• Quizzes
• Top 10s
• Day In History

Search Updated March 1, 2017 | Infoplease Staff

The Question:

Why is the dime smaller than the nickel?

The Answer:

Actually, the first five-cent coin in U.S. history was made of silver and was smaller than today's dime.

That's because when coins were first produced by the U.S. Mint in 1793 the U.S. standard coin was the silver dollar, and additional coin denominations were made with a proportionate silver content to the dollar. This, in turn, established the size of each. For example a ten-cent coin, or dime, contained 1/10 the silver found in a dollar.

The five-cent coin (which contained 1/20 the silver found in a dollar) was eventually determined to be too small to handle, and the five-cent coin we know today as a "nickel" was created in 1866. The size of the coin was increased and its metallic content was changed from silver and copper to a combination of copper and nickel.

-The Editors

Sources Our Common Sources See also:

• Designer of the Dime

Trending

Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

World's Most Corrupt Leaders & Politicians Western Christian Holidays, 2010-2030 The Best Movie Quotes of All Time! Top 10 Biggest Waterfalls in the World (Tallest, Widest, & Most Volume!) Books of the Bible: New Testament Books in Order Animal Group Terminology ✖

Most Recent Quizzes

1. How Well Do You Know Polynomial Classification? 2. The Ultimate Geometry Quiz 3. Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes Quiz 4. The U.S. States Population Puzzler 5. U.S. Leaders: Offices and Salaries

Recent content

• United Arab Emirates Map: Cities, Geography, and Key Facts (2025)
• Hawaii Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Netherlands Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Macedonia Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Finland Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Liechtenstein Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Monaco Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Lithuania Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Slovenia Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures
• Denmark Map: Regions, Geography, Facts & Figures