1959-D Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 160,738,240 made
- Mintage
- 160,738,240
- 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 1959-D Jefferson Nickel worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety.
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 1959-D Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 161 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1959-D 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 1959 Jefferson Nickel?
- On the reverse, to the right of Monticello. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1959 are scarcer?
- The 1956-D at 67,222,940, the 1955-D at 74,464,100, the 1954-D at 117,183,060, plus 1 more. So the 1959-D is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1959-D Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 160,738,240.
What to check on your 1959-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 1959 (27 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 1959 Jefferson Nickel Proof (1,149,291 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 160,738,240 made, you can still find a 1959-D 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 1959-D
Denver made 160,738,240 in 1959, about the same as the year before. In 1960 the figure was 193 million.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1959 (27 million).
Across Denver's 63 Jefferson Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1950-D with 2,630,030 made. The 1959-D is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1950s it's 23rd smallest of 24, between the 1957-D (137 million) and the 1958-D (168 million).
Coin shortage years and no mint marks (1956 to 1967)
Output grew rapidly through the late 1950s and early 1960s, led by Denver, which struck more than 280 million in 1962. A nationwide coin shortage in the early 1960s, blamed on vending machines, hoarding and a booming economy, led the Mint to strike more than 2.8 billion nickels dated 1964, with production of that date continuing into 1965.
From 1965 to 1967 the Mint removed mint marks from all coins to discourage hoarding. Special Mint Sets with satin finish coins replaced proof sets. In 1966 Felix Schlag's initials, FS, were added below the bust, more than 25 years after his design first appeared. Coins from this era are abundant and rarely carry a premium unless they show full steps, a strong proof-like finish or a notable error.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1959
The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears on the cent to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
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 | 1959 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 160,738,240 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1959 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Jefferson Nickel | 27,248,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1959 Jefferson Nickel Proof | 1,149,291 | Proof | – |
| 1959-D Jefferson Nickel | 160,738,240 | 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.