Nickels and dimes
Jefferson nickel value: which ones are worth more than five cents?
Type the year and choose the mint: the tool reads the number struck in the Mint tables and prices the metal of that nickel.
Jefferson nickel: year, mint and metal
Metal value of one 1950 coin
7.5¢
| Struck at this mint | 2,630,030 |
| Mintage band | Low mintage (1 to 5 million) |
| Metal | Cupronickel five-cent piece |
| Mint mark on the coin | D |
Pieces made in the calendar year; for most years this is also the date on the coin. At copper $6.61 per lb (last price read).
Thomas Jefferson has been on the nickel since 1938, the year the Mint’s history of circulating coins gives for the nickel joining the coins with presidents, with his house, Monticello, on the back. Most Jefferson nickels were struck by the hundreds of millions and are worth their metal, about 7.5¢ for 5.00 grams of copper and nickel at prices read on October 27, 2026, which the law does not let you cash. Two groups stand out. The wartime nickels dated 1942 to 1945 contain 35% silver, 0.0563 troy ounce each, worth about $3.08 at the silver price of the day, and may legally be melted. And a handful of dates had short runs: the lowest figures in the Bureau of the Mint tables are 1950-D (2,630,030), 1939-D (3,514,000), 1938-S (4,105,000), 1939-S (6,630,000). The tool above reads any year and mint; the small tool below prices a stack of war nickels.
Silver in wartime nickels
Melt value of 20 coins
$61.51
| One coin | $3.08 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Pure silver | 1.125 troy oz |
These are the one kind of nickel that 31 CFR Part 82 lets you melt or export. At silver $53.94 per troy oz (last price read).
Mintages, metals and prices read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The series in four periods
The Jefferson nickel is one long series with clear breaks. From 1938 to 1942 it is the regular copper and nickel alloy with a small mint mark to the right of Monticello. From late 1942 to 1945 comes the wartime alloy with a large mark above the dome. From 1946 the regular alloy and the small mark return, until the three years without marks from 1965 to 1967. From 1968 the letter sits on the front, and from 1980 Philadelphia coins show a P, as the Mint’s page on mint marks explains.
| Period | Metal | Mint mark | Example: struck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 to 1942 | 75% copper, 25% nickel | small, right of Monticello; none at Philadelphia | 1939-D: 3,514,000 |
| 1942 to 1945 | 35% silver | large, above the dome; P used | 1944 P: 119,150,000 |
| 1946 to 1964 | 75% copper, 25% nickel | small, right of Monticello | 1955 P: 8,266,200 |
| 1965 to 1980 | 75% copper, 25% nickel | none to 1967, then on the front | 1970-D: 515,485,380 |
The silver war nickels
The wartime alloy ran from October 1, 1942 to December 31, 1945. It replaced nickel with a mix of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese at the same 5.00 grams, and Philadelphia put a P on a coin for the first time to mark the change. All three mints took part:
| Year | Philadelphia (P) | Denver (D) | San Francisco (S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 271,165,000 | 15,294,000 | 104,060,000 |
| 1944 | 119,150,000 | 32,309,000 | 21,640,000 |
| 1945 | 119,408,100 | 37,158,000 | 58,939,000 |
The coin regulations in 31 CFR Part 82 exempt five-cent coins dated 1942 to 1945 made of copper, silver and manganese from the ban on melting, treating and exporting. Their silver can therefore be valued like that of dimes and quarters from before 1965, and the small tool below gives the silver in any number of them at the price of the moment. For 1942, check the mark: a large P or S above the dome means silver; a small letter or none beside the building means the regular alloy.
Short runs worth checking
Jefferson nickels were never struck in the tiny numbers of some Buffalo nickels, but several dates came in well under ten million:
| Coin | Struck | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 1950-D | 2,630,030 | Low mintage |
| 1939-D | 3,514,000 | Low mintage |
| 1938-S | 4,105,000 | Low mintage |
| 1939-S | 6,630,000 | Moderate mintage |
| 1951-S | 7,776,000 | Moderate mintage |
| 1955 | 8,266,200 | Moderate mintage |
| 1949-S | 9,716,000 | Moderate mintage |
| 1950 | 9,847,386 | Moderate mintage |
The 1950-D stands alone at the bottom, and the 1939-D and 1938-S follow. Philadelphia appears with 1950 and 1955, years when it struck fewer than ten million. The checker at the top of this page places any date in its band.
Modern Jefferson nickels
In recent years the Mint has varied the design, including the Westward Journey Nickel Series the Mint’s history page lists among its recent programs, but the metal remains 5.00 grams of copper and nickel as in the current specifications. Production runs to hundreds of millions a year at each of Philadelphia and Denver: 772,780,000 and 798,000,000 in 2021 according to the Mint’s production reports. Their value is their face, plus the metal you may not melt, unless an error makes one stand out. The nickel value page covers Buffalo nickels and the rest of the five-cent coins.