how come the 10 cents coins are smaller than the 5 cents coins?

Answer 1

Because when they first made them, nickels were made from nickel, dimes were silver. You needed more nickel to get 5 cents worth of it vs. the value of 10 cents worth of Silver. Get it?

Answer 2

Many good answers here. The ten cent coin started as the disme, (rhymes with team), due to its being one-tenth of a unit, (think decimal). The "s" was subsequently dropped, but the dime and its smaller brother the half-dime were made of silver. The weight is one-tenth and one-twentieth of a silver dollar. Later during the civil war when change was in short supply, (during wars people hoarde precious metal), a miner with political contacts convinced the government to mint 5 cent pieces out of nickel, (he conveniently owned the largest nickel mine in the US), to alleviate the shortage. In 1866 the "nickel" five cent piece was born. In 1965 the US stopped minting dimes, quarters, and to some extent half dollars out of silver because silver was too expensive, but they didn't change the dimensions of the coins. That is also why those coins still have reeded edges, originally designed so you couldn't shave off precious metal off the coin without people knowing it.

By the way, the nickel will probably soon go the way of the dime, since a nickel is now worth more than 5 cents in melt value.

Answer 3

The ten cent coin called "Dime" is smaller than five cent called "nickel" because it will cost more to produce the dimes if the size is increased.

Answer 4

the original 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. the size of the coin was increased and its metallic content was changed from silver and copper to a combination of copper and nickel.

Answer 5

Originally a nickel was made from Nickel and a dime was made of silver.(Not any more) So, since nickel is worth less than silver, you needed more of it to make five cents worth. When I was a kid, I used to trade other kids nickels for dimes because they were bigger. I could double my money all day.

Answer 6

At one time dimes were silver and nickles were, well, nickle, and 5 cents of nickle was more in weight then 10 cents of silver.

Answer 7

originally, the dime size was equal to one tenth part of a silver unit or dollar, the material changed but not the dimension.

Answer 8

To confuse you. Actually, different size coins help the blind distinguish what is what. Hope that helps

Answer 9

Inflation.

Answer 10

Because your head is to big for such low amount of intellect.