The nickel is the bastard child of change. Seriously. Think for a minute about the canonical shit job, the "cash register operation engineer," or, more succinctly, "clerk." Visualize the clerk and the coins he has to use when he makes change. To use the least number of coins to get any amount of change, he may have to use up to three quarters, he may theoretically have to use up to three dimes (when you get to 40 cents, you can use a quarter, a dime, and a nickel instead of using four dimes), and he may have to use up to four pennies....but he will never have to use more than one nickel. My condolences to this poor, unloved little coin.