Five Centavos, Proof

Like other coins in this category, dates of this denomination were struck at both mints on U.S. soil and in the Philippines itself. Production of this nickel coinage was sporadic; like all others, business strikes were first produced in 1903 and then again in 1904, but after that there was a twelve year gap, with the next circulation strikes being made in 1916. The Proof format of this denomination was short-lived, bring struck in only four years, with the final three years being Proof-only dates, made for inclusion in sets. The key coin in this series is the 1918-S Mule, in which workers at the San Francisco Mint mistakenly used a reverse die of the silver 20 Centavos denomination in the striking of the 5 Centavos. The finest examples of this variety have brought north of $30,000.