1939 Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 120,615,000 made
- Mintage
- 120,615,000
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.21 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 1939 Jefferson Nickel worth?
A worn 1939 is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside. The exception is the 1939 Doubled Monticello Nickel, which collectors pay a large premium for.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full steps on Monticello (5FS or 6FS)
- A known variety for the date: 1939 Doubled Monticello Nickel
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Check your coin for the 1939 Doubled Monticello Nickel. It is a known doubled die reverse for this date and mint.
Quick answers
- Is the 1939 Jefferson Nickel rare?
- No. 121 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1939 Jefferson Nickel silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1939 Jefferson Nickel?
- On the reverse, to the right of Monticello. No mint mark means Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1939 are scarcer?
- The 1938 at 19,496,000, the 1942 at 49,789,000, the 1942-P at 57,873,000, plus 1 more. So the 1939 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1939 Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 120,615,000.
What to check on your 1939
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1939 Doubled Monticello Nickel.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1939 Jefferson Nickel Proof (12,535 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. The steps of Monticello are the key: coins with 5 or 6 full steps (5FS / 6FS) sell for large premiums. On the obverse, check Jefferson's cheekbone and hair.
With 120,615,000 made, you can still find a 1939 in rolls, old jars and inherited collections. The coins worth keeping are the uncirculated ones and any with a doubled die or other variety.
The story of the 1939
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1939: 120,615,000 coins, about 6.2 times the 1938 run. The next year it made 176 million (1940).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1939-D (3.5 million) and 1939-S (6.6 million).
Philadelphia struck the Jefferson Nickel in 64 issues between 1938 and 2003. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1955 (7,888,000). No Jefferson Nickel of the 1930s had a bigger run.
Felix Schlag's new nickel (1938 to 1941)
In 1938 Felix Schlag won the design competition for a new nickel. His portrait of Thomas Jefferson with Monticello on the reverse was released in November. The Mint modified his original design, changing Monticello from an angled view to a straight front view. The 1938-D and 1938-S were saved in rolls by collectors.
The 1939 has a doubled MONTICELLO reverse variety. The 1939-D is a semi-key with 3.5 million made. The reverse hub was sharpened around 1940. Some 1939 and 1940 coins with the older, softer steps are collected as the Reverse of 1938. Collectors grade these nickels by the number of steps on Monticello. Fully struck steps are scarce for many dates. Output climbed to more than 200 million in 1941.
How to recognize it
Felix Schlag's portrait shows Thomas Jefferson facing left with IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and the date. The reverse shows the front of Monticello, Jefferson's home, with MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS below. The mint mark was to the right of the building until 1964 (above the dome on wartime silver nickels) and moved to the obverse, near the date, in 1968. Schlag's initials FS were added below the bust in 1966.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Jefferson Nickel (1938–2003) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 120,615,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1939 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Jefferson Nickel | 120,615,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1939 Jefferson Nickel Proof | 12,535 | Proof | – |
| 1939-D Jefferson Nickel | 3,514,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1939-S Jefferson Nickel | 6,630,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.