Jefferson Monticello nickel value

A handful of doubled-die and overdate errors are worth far more, but each needs a close look.

How to tell

1. Read the date. Most dates from the 1950s on are worth face value when worn. Look first for 1938 to 1945.
2. Check above Monticello's dome. A large P, D or S there means a war nickel, made from 1942 to 1945.
3. Check beside the building. On the earlier dates, the mint mark is a small letter on the back, to the right of Monticello. A 1942-D has its mark there, not above the dome: it was struck in the pre-war metal, before the switch to silver in October 1942.
4. Check the front for later dates. From 1982 on, the mint mark is on the front, below the date.
5. Look for errors. The back of a 1939, the front of a 1943-P and the mint marks of a few other dates can show errors (see below).

The war nickels, 1942 to 1945

In October 1942 the Mint switched to a metal that includes silver and put a large mint mark above the dome. It was the first time Philadelphia used a mint mark, so a war nickel can carry a P.

Every 1942-P and 1942-S, and every 1943, 1944 and 1945 nickel with the large mark, is silver. A worn one sells for close to the value of its silver, so its price moves with the price of silver. Keep them out of your spending change.

The 1943-D had the fewest made of the war nickels, and lightly worn ones are hard to find.

Key dates

• 1950-D. The fewest made of any regular Jefferson nickel, and people hoarded it in rolls in the 1960s. Even a well-worn one is worth more than face: $2.50 to $5.50.
• 1939-D. Few were made and few were kept. At $2.17 to $6.50, it is worth the most of the early dates.
• 1938-D, 1938-S and 1939-S. Scarce early coins. The 1938-D and 1938-S are first-year coins, and the 1939-S is worth more than face in any condition.
• 1942-D. The last pre-war Denver nickel. A worn one is worth little, but it is hard to find in good condition.
• 1950 and 1955 (no mint mark). These Philadelphia coins had low mintages. Worn ones sell for about face value. Only better-condition coins are worth more.

Errors and varieties

Check these on any coin you hold. The two worth the most are the 1942-D with its D mint mark stamped sideways first and then upright over it, at $4,620, and the 1939 doubled Monticello, at $1,500. On the 1939, MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS on the back are strongly doubled.

The others are smaller finds:

• 1943/2-P overdate. A 1942 die was changed to read 1943, so the curve of the 2 shows under the 3.
• 1943-P doubled eye. A second outline shows around Jefferson's eye.
• 1949-D, D over S, and 1955-D, D over S. The D mint mark is stamped over an S.
• 1954-S, S over D. The S mint mark is stamped over a D.

These values are for coins never used (uncirculated). A worn coin with the same error sells for less, but a clear error can still be worth well above face value.

Condition

Wear lowers value, and the better the condition, the higher the price. A coin's own condition decides what it sells for.

Do not clean your coins. Cleaning scratches the surface and lowers the value, including on silver war nickels and errors.

Later nickels are mostly worth face value from your change. Some are worth more only if never used (uncirculated), such as the 1982-P at $9.24 and the 1983-D at $4.64. A worn one is worth face value.