2005-P Ocean in View Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 394,080,000 made
- Mintage
- 394,080,000
- 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 2005-P Ocean in View 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 known variety for the date: 2005-D Speared Bison Nickel
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2005-P Ocean in View Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 394 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 2005-P Ocean in View 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 2005 Westward Journey Nickel?
- On the obverse: near the date on 2004 coins and just above the date, below LIBERTY, on 2005 coins (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- How many 2005-P Ocean in View Nickel coins were made?
- 394,080,000.
What to check on your 2005-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 2005-D (411 million made).
- Look for the 2005-D Speared Bison Nickel (it's on Denver coins, not this one).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 2005-S Ocean in View Nickel Proof (3,344,679 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Modern nickels are graded on luster and strike. Look for weakness on the reverse devices and for contact marks across Jefferson's cheek.
With 394 million made, the 2005-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 2005-P Ocean in View
Philadelphia made 394,080,000 of the Ocean in View coin. That was the smallest Philadelphia run of the 2 designs issued in 2005, so it's the one from that year you're least likely to find in change.
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (411 million), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Lewis and Clark on the nickel (2004 to 2005)
The Westward Journey nickels marked the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 2004 two reverses used the original obverse. The Peace Medal by Norman E. Nemeth was based on medals given to tribal leaders, while the Keelboat by Al Maletsky shows the expedition's boat. The American 5-Cent Coin Design Continuity Act of 2003 required the Monticello reverse to return after the series.
In 2005 a new obverse by Joe Fitzgerald showed Jefferson facing right with Liberty in his handwriting. The American Bison reverse by Jamie Franki and the Ocean in View reverse by Fitzgerald completed the series. The 2005-D Bison has a die gouge variety called the Speared Bison. Satin finish coins came in 2005 mint sets. Many were saved, so uncirculated coins are plentiful.
How to recognize it
The Ocean in View design
Waves roll toward a rocky coastline on this reverse, accompanied by a line from William Clark's journal celebrating his first sight of the Pacific. Clark wrote the entry in November 1805 when the expedition reached the Columbia River estuary, which he took to be the ocean itself. The design was created by Joe Fitzgerald and sculpted by Donna Weaver. Ocean in View was the second nickel of 2005 and the last of the Westward Journey series.
The Westward Journey Nickel design
Four reverses marked the Lewis and Clark expedition: the Peace Medal with clasped hands and the Keelboat in 2004 and the American Bison and the Pacific coast "Ocean in view" design in 2005. The 2005 coins also introduced a close-up portrait of Jefferson facing right, with LIBERTY written in his own handwriting.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Westward Journey Nickel (2004–2005) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 394,080,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Various (Norman E. Nemeth, Al Maletsky, Jamie Franki, Joe Fitzgerald) |
Other 2005 Westward Journey Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-P American Bison Nickel | 448,320,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2005-P Ocean in View Nickel | 394,080,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2005-D American Bison Nickel | 487,680,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2005-D Ocean in View Nickel | 411,120,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2005-S American Bison Nickel Proof | 3,344,679 | Proof | – |
| 2005-S Ocean in View Nickel Proof | 3,344,679 | 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.