2010-P Return to Monticello Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 260,640,000 made
- Mintage
- 260,640,000
- 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 2010-P Return to Monticello 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
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2010-P Return to Monticello Nickel rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 261 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 2010-P Return to Monticello 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 2010 Return to Monticello Nickel?
- On the obverse, below the date (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 2010 are scarcer?
- The 2009-P at 39,840,000. So the 2010-P is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 2010-P Return to Monticello Nickel coins were made?
- 260,640,000.
What to check on your 2010-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2010-D (230 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 2010-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof (1,689,216 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the steps of Monticello and Jefferson's cheek. Fully struck coins with five or six steps sell for premiums in high grades.
With 261 million made, the 2010-P still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 2010-P
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 2010: 260,640,000 coins, about 6.5 times the 2009 run. In 2011 the figure was 450 million.
2010-D came to 230 million, so neither mint's 2010 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Only the 2009-P and the 2024-P have a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 20 Return to Monticello Nickels. Among the 2010s issues, only the 2010-D had a smaller run.
Recovery and the search for cheaper metals (2010 to 2016)
Production recovered from 2010, rising from about 260 million at Philadelphia to more than 750 million at each mint by 2015 and 2016. The Coin Modernization, Oversight and Continuity Act of 2010 directed the Mint to study cheaper alloys. Test pieces were struck in several metals, but the copper-nickel composition stayed unchanged.
Proofs were struck at San Francisco each year, with mintages falling from about 1.7 million in 2010 to about 1 million by 2016 as collector set sales declined. Circulating coins from these years are common. Collectors look for complete steps on Monticello, strong hair detail and minor die varieties. Some dates show die cracks from long production runs. Bright uncirculated coins are easy to find in rolls and mint sets.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2010
The Union Shield reverse replaced the Lincoln Memorial on the cent. The America the Beautiful quarters began, honoring a national park or site in every state and territory.
How to recognize it
Jamie Franki's obverse shows Jefferson facing forward, with LIBERTY in his handwriting and the date and mint mark below. The reverse returns to the front view of Monticello with MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS beneath and E PLURIBUS UNUM above.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Return to Monticello Nickel (2006–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2010 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 260,640,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Jamie Franki (obverse); Felix Schlag (reverse, re-engraved) |
Other 2010 Return to Monticello Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-P Return to Monticello Nickel | 260,640,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2010-D Return to Monticello Nickel | 229,920,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2010-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof | 1,689,216 | Proof | – |
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.