1944-S Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 21,640,000 made
- Mintage
- 21,640,000
- Metal
- 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese
- 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 1944-S Jefferson Nickel worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0563 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full steps on Monticello (5FS or 6FS)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1944-S Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 22 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1944-S Jefferson Nickel silver?
- Yes. It's 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese and holds 0.0563 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1944 Jefferson Nickel?
- Large mint mark above the dome of Monticello on the reverse, including a "P" for Philadelphia, the first ever used. A large mint mark means a 35% silver war nickel. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1944 are scarcer?
- The 1939-S at 6,630,000, the 1949-S at 9,716,000, the 1948-S at 11,300,000, plus 1 more. So the 1944-S is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1944-S Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 21,640,000.
What to check on your 1944-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1944-D (32 million made).
- Look above Monticello for the large P, D or S. Every genuine nickel dated 1943 to 1945 is the silver wartime alloy and carries one. A 1944 nickel with no mint mark is a known counterfeit.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- 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.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1944-S
Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1944. Only 21,640,000 were made, against 104 million the year before. That drop is why the 1944-S is the one people look for. The next year it made 59 million (1945-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1944-P alone came to 119 million, roughly 5.5 for every 1944-S. That makes the 1944-S the scarcer 1944 coin, though still a common one.
San Francisco struck the Jefferson Nickel in 19 issues between 1938 and 1970. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1938-S (4,105,000). Within the 1940s it's 6th smallest of 31, between the 1943-D (15 million) and the 1947-S (25 million).
Wartime silver nickels (1942 to 1945)
Nickel was needed for the war, so in late 1942 the Mint switched to an alloy of 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver and 9 percent manganese. To show the change, a large mint mark was placed above Monticello. For the first time Philadelphia used a P. Early 1942 nickels in the old alloy have the mint mark to the right of the building.
The 1943/2-P overdate and the 1943-P doubled eye variety are popular. Many silver nickels were pulled from circulation and melted in later decades when silver rose, but they remain easy to find. Counterfeits dated 1944 without a mint mark were made by Francis Henning, so any 1944 nickel without a P, D or S above the dome is fake. Survivors often show dark or uneven toning from the manganese. Fully struck steps are scarce on several dates.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1944
Cents went back to a copper alloy, partly made from recycled cartridge cases ("shell-case brass"). A few leftover steel planchets produced the rare 1944 steel cents.
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 | 1944 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 21,640,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Silver content | 0.0563 troy oz (1.750 g) |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1944 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-P Jefferson Nickel | 119,150,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0563 oz |
| 1944-D Jefferson Nickel | 32,309,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0563 oz |
| 1944-S Jefferson Nickel | 21,640,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0563 oz |
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.