2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 559,675 made
- Mintage
- 559,675
- Metal
- Manganese brass
- Weight
- 8.1 g
- Diameter
- 26.49 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 559,675 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar silver?
- No. It's manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel). Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2019 American Innovation Dollar?
- On the edge, incused with the date. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- How many 2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar coins were made?
- 559,675.
What to check on your 2019-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2019-P (621,675 made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar Proof (149,885 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. These are sold in rolls, bags and sets, so most survive uncirculated. Value depends on luster and freedom from marks.
The story of the 2019-D New Jersey: Lightbulb
Denver made 559,675 of the New Jersey: Lightbulb innovation dollar. Among the 4 designs of 2019 it was the second smallest Denver run, between Georgia: Trustees' Garden (368,475) and Delaware: Annie Jump Cannon (866,400).
Philadelphia struck a similar number of the same design (621,675), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it's one of the most plentiful Denver designs.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2019
The West Point Mint struck quarters with a "W" mint mark for the first time and released them into circulation to encourage people to search their change.
How to recognize it
The New Jersey: Lightbulb design
Thomas Edison's incandescent lightbulb, developed at his Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey, is honored on this 2019 dollar. Edison's team demonstrated a practical bulb in 1879 and later refined the filament so it could last about 1,200 hours. The reverse shows a single Edison bulb set against an ornate background, with the inscription NEW JERSEY. Reliable electric light encouraged the building of power stations and wiring systems that changed homes, streets and factories. Paul C. Balan designed the reverse, which Phebe Hemphill sculpted.
The American Innovation Dollar design
The obverse shows the Statue of Liberty in profile with IN GOD WE TRUST and $1. Each reverse honors an innovation or innovator from one state or territory, issued in the order the states joined the Union. The date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are lettered on the edge, which is where to look for the mint mark.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | American Innovation Dollar (2018–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 559,675 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.1 grams |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Edge | Lettered with the date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM |
| Designer | Various artists |
Other 2019 American Innovation Dollar issues
Mintage: American Innovation dollars (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.