2019-D Return to Monticello Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 527,040,000 made
- Mintage
- 527,040,000
- 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 2019-D Return to Monticello Nickel worth?
A worn 2019-D is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
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 2019-D Return to Monticello Nickel rare?
- No. 527 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 2019-D 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 2019 Return to Monticello Nickel?
- On the obverse, below the date (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 2019 are scarcer?
- The 2024-D at 32,880,000. So the 2019-D is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 2019-D Return to Monticello Nickel coins were made?
- 527,040,000.
What to check on your 2019-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 2019-P (568 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 2019-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof (989,862 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 527 million made, the 2019-D 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 2019-D
Denver made 527,040,000 in 2019, down from 627 million in 2018. The next year it made 838 million (2020-D).
2019-P came to 568 million, so neither mint's 2019 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Denver struck the Return to Monticello Nickel in 20 issues between 2006 and 2025. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 2024-D (32,880,000). Within the 2010s it's 5th smallest of 20, between the 2012-P (465 million) and the 2011-D (540 million).
Special finishes and the first W nickels (2017 to 2020)
In 2017 San Francisco struck an Enhanced Uncirculated nickel for the 225th anniversary set. In 2018 a reverse proof nickel was included in a 50th anniversary set marking San Francisco proof production. In 2020 West Point struck nickels for the first time, with a W mint mark, in proof and reverse proof versions issued as bonus coins in collector sets. A planned uncirculated W nickel was dropped from the 2020 Uncirculated Set.
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 disrupted the flow of coins through the economy. Nickel production rose to more than 780 million at Philadelphia and 830 million at Denver to keep up. Pieces struck for circulation in these years are easy to find. The special finishes and the W coins are the main collector focus. Their lower mintages make them the scarcest modern pieces in the series.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2019
The West Point Mint struck quarters with a "W" mint mark for the first time and released them into circulation to encourage people to search their change.
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 | 2019 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 527,040,000 |
| 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 2019 Return to Monticello Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-P Return to Monticello Nickel | 567,854,400 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2019-D Return to Monticello Nickel | 527,040,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2019-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof | 989,862 | 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.