Coinage Act of 1873

Coinage Act of 1873 was a law passed by the United States government that changed how money was made. Before the law, most money was made out of silver and gold. But after this law, most money was made from pieces of metal called coins. These coins had a face value (a number that shows how much it was worth) that was different from its metal value. For example, a nickel was worth more than 5 cents because it was made of metal.