Look for boxy mintmark on 1912-S nickel

How can I tell if my 1912-S Liberty Head nickel is genuine?
The genuine 1912-S nickel was made with the same mintmark punch as the 1909-S VDB cent, which means the mintmark should be square and boxy, with a notch in the upper serif and a lump in the upper loop.

What is the reason the military has been using pogs at our bases in Afghanistan?
My sources tell me weight is the major reason. Troops need physical currency to use at military canteens and exchanges. The weight of bulk coinage would limit the amount of other strategic supplies that could be transported in the same shipment.

Why did arrows at the dates return to silver coins in 1873 to 1874?
Silver weight increased. No one is certain why the arrows were the design applied, but the reason was to identify the coins as complying with metric weights and measures being used by most other countries worldwide. The arrows were dropped in 1875, though it isn’t clear if this was the order of the Mint Bureau director or the Philadelphia mint superintendent.

Why is it that there are more proofs than circulation strikes available of some of the low-mintage U.S. coins?
The chief reason is the lack of collector interest in the circulation pieces at the time. What few collectors there were (prior to 1900) kept the proofs, but the circulation strikes disappeared through normal attrition.

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