Why are nickels bigger than dimes?

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. read more

Half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars were struck in .900 fine silver and their value, size and weight were proportional (less a small amount of seigniorige to help defray the Mint’s cost of producing the coin). read more

A nickel is bigger than a dime because dimes prior to 1965 had silver. Since 1866, nickels have been 75% copper and 25% nickel. Until 1964, it made sense for the dime to be smaller than the dime because the intrinsic value (the value of the metal) of the nickel had to be worth less than the intrinsic value of the dime. read more