Which coins are referred to as nickels?

Answer 1

"Nickel" is the slang term for five-cent coins in the US and among English-speaking Canadians.

Interestingly, only 25% of the metal in US nickels is actually nickel metal; the rest is copper. Only Canadian nickels were ever made of nearly-pure nickel.

The name's origin dates back to the mid-19th century when the US introduced 3¢ and 5¢ coins made of cupronickel. The same denominations were already being minted in silver, and both compositions were used simultaneously for a number of years. People began to distinguish the coins with phrases like "three cents, silver," "five cents, nickel," and so on. The name "nickel" caught on for both of the new coins and people began to call them "three-cent nickels" and "five-cent nickels." By the late 19th century both types of 3¢ coins and silver 5¢ coins had been discontinued, leaving only cupronickel five-cent pieces. Because there was no longer a need to distinguish among them, the "five-cent" modifier gradually disappeared, leaving the name we know today.