The last year for the Canadian silver 5-cent piece was 1921, except those coins weren't called nickels because they didn't contain any nickel. The Canadian nickel (actually made of nickel) was then introduced in 1922.
i don't know maybe they hate silver. lol
Silver is a precious metal, and just like gold, it's going to be expensive so they stoped using it because they realized that people could melt the coins down and have a ton of money in silver.
The value of silver rose so the US had to use other metals to make coins. If our coins were still made of silver dimes would be worth $2 and quarters would be worth $5.
stop using silver in nickels
The last year for 90% silver dimes, quarters, and, half dollars was 1964. Half dollars were then made with 40% silver until 1970.
The widespread minting of silver coins began to decline in the 20th century, particularly after the United States discontinued the use of silver in its coins in 1965. Other countries followed suit, largely due to rising silver prices and the costs associated with using precious metals in currency. By the late 20th century, most nations had transitioned to using base metals for their coins. Today, silver coins are primarily produced for collectors and investors rather than for everyday currency.
The Netherlands officially stopped using silver coins in 1967 when it transitioned to a currency system based on copper-nickel and other metals. This change was part of a broader move away from precious metal coins due to rising costs and the need for more practical currency options. The last silver coins in circulation were 50-cent pieces, which were gradually phased out.
None of the Eisenhower dollars (1971-1978) that were released into circulation had any silver! Only special collectors coins sold directly from the US Mint were made from 40% silver and all of them have S mintmarks. None of the Philadelphia or Denver minted coins contain silver. The 40% silver coins were struck only from 1971 to 1976.
Italy stopped using silver in its coins in 1982 when it transitioned to a pure nickel-brass composition for its lower denominations. Prior to that, silver had been used in various forms of Italian currency for centuries. The move was part of a broader trend across Europe to eliminate precious metals from everyday coinage. Today, Italian coins are made primarily from alloys that do not contain silver.
The world wide increase in silver prices was the main reason.
Silver was only used in nickels from 1942-1945 on coins with a large mintmark over the Monticello (some nickels in 1942 do not have the large mintmark and are of the standard composition), these coins are 35% silver. All other nickels are 75% copper and 25% nickel.
1937