Why are dimes worth more if nickels are bigger and made of the same metal alloy?

Answer 1

Because there is no intrinsic value in the metal. Back in the "olden days" the value of coins was set by amount of precious metal in them.

The United States stopped using precious metal as a basis for coins long before we completely moved off the gold standard as a basis for the value of our currency.

Basically, a nickel is worth 5 tenths of a dollar because the government says so. The same for the dime.

Answer 2

U.S. Coins U.S. coins have changed many times since the Coinage Act of 1792, which adopted the dollar as the standard monetary unit. Silver dollars have been minted and issued at various times since 1794. Dollar coins were discontinued in 1935, then resumed in 1971 with the introduction of the silverless Eisenhower dollar. The silverless Susan B. Anthony coin, honoring the famed women's suffrage advocate, replaced the Eisenhower dollar in 1979. The current dollar coin, which replaced the Susan B. Anthony coin in 2000, depicts Sacagawea, the Native American woman whose presence was essential to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The coin has a copper core clad in an alloy of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel, which gives the coin a golden color. Half-dollars virtually disappeared from circulation following the introduction, in 1964, of the Kennedy half-dollar. Despite the fact that huge quantities were produced, the half-dollar remained scarce in general circulation through 1970. Silverless halves first appeared in 1971. Other coin denominations in common use today are the 25-cent, 10-cent, five-cent, and one-cent pieces, familiarly known as the quarter, dime, nickel, and penny. The composition of U.S. coins has changed considerably since the 1960s. Because of a growing worldwide silver shortage, the Coinage Act of 1965 authorized a change in the composition of dimes, quarters, and half-dollars, which had been 90 percent silver. Silver was eliminated from the dime and the quarter. The half-dollar's silver content was reduced to 40 percent and, after 1970, was eliminated altogether. Faces and Backs of Coins Face Back Abraham Lincoln Lincoln Memorial Thomas Jefferson Monticello Franklin D. Roosevelt Torch George Washington 50 States Design John F. Kennedy Presidential Coat of Arms Sacagawea Bald Eagle In 1981 Congress authorized a change in the penny's composition, abandoning the 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc alloy used for decades. The one-cent piece is now copper-plated zinc—97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. The old and new pennies look virtually identical, but the new coin is about 19 percent lighter. U.S. coin denominations used in the past were the half-cent, two-cent, three-cent, and 20-cent pieces, as well as a small silver coin called a half-dime. Gold coins in denominations of $1, $2.50 ("Quarter Eagle"), $3, $5 ("Half Eagle"), $10 ("Eagle"), and $20 ("Double Eagle") were used from 1795 until 1933.

Answer 3

Traditionally dimes and quarters were made out of silver. A nickel was traditionally made out of nickle. :o Money is no longer related to the value of metals and the size of it is just traditional. As in why is it that size now? Because it always was that size.

Answer 4

They said the copper used in a penny is worth more than the penny. So theoritically you could get a bunch of pennies and melt the metal down and sell it for more than what the pennies were worth. Money is not necessarily a reflection of the cost of the metal or paper used to make the money.

Answer 5

Basically the same reasons a $10 bill is worth more than a $5 bill. Same material, just a social contract where at $5/hour you have to work two hours to get a $10 bill and at $10/hr you have to work 1 hour. Good luck on figuring out what to work for and what to carry and/or store for yourself in terms of valuable materials.

Answer 6

Maybe because there are more dimes in circulation at any given time and it's cost-effective for them to be smaller? That's my guess.

Answer 7

Well it just proves that sometimes the little guy, with the right qualifications is better than the big guy with less qualifications

Answer 8

because the government said so

Answer 9

who cares?