When was the US nickel minted?

The coin now called a "nickel" was introduced in 1866 as a replacement for the inconvenient and unpopular half-dime, a tiny silver coin that was easily lost. Nickels have been minted almost every year since then, the major exception being 1932-33 during the depth of the Depression.

The coin was one of the first to be minted in the now-common alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel. Nickel is a very hard metal which caused a lot of problems with die breakage until stronger presses were developed.

Regardless of internet stories, the ONLY nickels that ever contained silver were special coins minted during WWII. From mid-1942 to 1945 nickels did contain a small amount of silver because nickel metal was needed for the war effort.

The coin's nickname has an interesting history. In the middle of the 19th century the Mint also struck 3-cent coins intended to simplify the purchase of postage stamps. Initially both these coins and half-dimes were made of silver but during the transition to nickel coinage both denominations were struck in both metals. To distinguish them in conversation people referred to "three-cent nickels", "three-cent silvers", etc. By the late 19th century half-dimes and both three-cent coins had been discontinued which left only the "five-cent nickel", and the name quickly contracted to "nickel".