And a few “modern” (1965 on) coins can command fairly high prices for top-quality key dates and rare mintages, but most are worth only face value.īesides the war nickels, some key dates to look for are: Uncirculated coins have a huge range of value, from a few dollars to tens of thousands for mint-condition pre-1965 samples. Even the 35% silver wartime nickels bring only a few dollars in circulated condition. Jefferson nickels generally range in value from face (five cents) to a few dollars. In 2004-2005, four new reverse designs were used to commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition (Monticello reappeared in 2006), and a new portrait of Jefferson facing forward was incorporated in 2006. The coins returned to their original composition in 1946.

To make the wartime coins easy to distinguish, a larger mint mark appeared over the Monticello rendering on the reverse, including a large P for the Philadelphia mint, the first time Philadelphia coins carried a mint mark. The design of the Jefferson Nickel was unchanged until 1965, but due to wartime demand for nickel, the coin’s composition was changed in late 1942 to remove the nickel and use an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. The Jefferson Nickel replaced the Buffalo design in 1938 and has remained in circulation through today. There are a few low mintages and mistake coins that are worth considerably more. Most circulated Buffalo Nickels sell for $1-$10, with uncirculated samples in the $50-$200 range. Production problems were noted with the reverse (Type 1) design early on and it was changed late in 1913 to include a larger date and a flat ground below the bison’s feet (type 2).

The Buffalo or Indian Head Nickel – 1913-1938Īs early as 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt had complained that US coins lacked unique designs, and by 1913, a new five-cent coin was released with an American bison on its face and the bust of a native American on the reverse. Only five are known to have been made surreptitiously, and one recently sold for a reported $5 million. Exceptions are key dates 1885-18-S, which can be worth over $1,000. Most circulated Liberty nickels are worth a few dollars, and uncirculated range from $100-250. The early ones without “cents” are Type 1 coins and the remainder are Type 2. Recognizing the problem, midway through the first year, “cents” was added below the wreath. The first few coins didn’t have the word “cents,” only the Roman numeral, so counterfeiters began gold-plating them and passing them as five-dollar gold coins since they were of similar size. The Charles Barber design depicted a bust of Lady Liberty on its face and the Roman numeral V on the reverse surrounded by a wreath of wheat, cotton, and corn. The five-cent coin was redesigned for release in 1883. Key dates for the Shield Nickel include 1867, 1877-1881, and 1883 with a 3 over 2 date stamp. Heavily worn Shield Nickels are relatively easy to find for $25-50, but higher graded coins can go for thousands. Type 1 coins have rays between 13 stars surrounding the 5, but the rays proved hard to strike on the harder copper/nickel blanks, so in late 1867, the rays were eliminated on Type 2 coins. The first nickel has two design types both have a heraldic shield on the face and a large numeral 5 on the reverse. During that time, the nickel has had four major designs: the Shield Nickel (1866-1883), the Liberty Nickel (1881-1913), the Buffalo or Indian Head Nickel (1913-1938), and the Jefferson Nickel (1938-present). The nickel coin has been made continuously from its introduction in 1866 except in 1922, 1932, and 1933.

With a brief exception in World War II, that alloy has been used since. First produced to make two-cent and three-cent coins, this alloy was used to make five-cent pieces beginning in 1866 and gave the colloquial term “nickel” to those coins. The new coins would be made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. Silver shortages and coin hoarding during the Civil War led Congress to authorize minting small denomination coins that didn’t contain precious metals. Prior to then, it was known as a half dime, a small, thin 90% silver coin that was about half the size of a dime, since a coin’s worth was commensurate with how much precious metal it contained back then. The five-cent coin has been made by the US Mint since 1794, but has only been called a “nickel” since 1866.

Nickels worth money