1951-S Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 7,776,000 made
- Mintage
- 7,776,000
- 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 1951-S Jefferson Nickel worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
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
- 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 1951-S Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Somewhat. 7,776,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1951-S 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 1951 Jefferson Nickel?
- On the reverse, to the right of Monticello. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1951 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1951-S.
- How many 1951-S Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 7,776,000.
What to check on your 1951-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 1951-D (20 million 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 1951 Jefferson Nickel Proof (57,500 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.
The story of the 1951-S
San Francisco hadn't struck the Jefferson Nickel since 1949. When it came back in 1951, it made 7,776,000. The next year it made 21 million (1952-S).
1951-D came to 20 million and 1951 came to 29 million, so neither mint's 1951 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1955 (7,888,000) and the 1939-S (6,630,000).
Only the 1938-S and the 1939-S have a lower mintage among San Francisco's 19 Jefferson Nickels. Among the 1950s issues, only the 1950-D had a smaller run.
Return to copper-nickel and the 1950-D (1946 to 1955)
The prewar alloy of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel returned in 1946, along with the small mint mark to the right of Monticello. Output was modest in the late 1940s as wartime demand eased. The 1950-D, with only 2.6 million coined, became the key date of the series. Speculators hoarded it in rolls almost at once, so it is found in uncirculated condition more often than worn.
Overmintmarks from this period include the 1949-D/S, 1954-S/D and 1955-D/S, created when a die was punched with one mint mark and then corrected with another. San Francisco stopped striking nickels after 1954. Philadelphia struck a low 8.3 million in 1955. Coins from these years are common in uncirculated condition, but full steps examples are scarce for many dates, especially from Denver and San Francisco.
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 | 1951 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 7,776,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1951 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 Jefferson Nickel | 28,552,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1951 Jefferson Nickel Proof | 57,500 | Proof | – |
| 1951-D Jefferson Nickel | 20,460,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1951-S Jefferson Nickel | 7,776,000 | 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.