Jefferson Nickel

United States · 1938-present

A standard United States five-cent coin featuring a profile portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his Virginia home, Monticello, on the reverse.

Country: United States
Year: 1938-present
Denomination: 5 Cents

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Identified September 4, 2026More united states coins →

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Overview

A standard United States five-cent coin featuring a profile portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his Virginia home, Monticello, on the reverse.

Historical significance

Introduced in 1938 to replace the Buffalo Nickel following a public design competition, honoring the third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.

Obverse (front)

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson facing left, with the motto 'IN GOD WE TRUST' to the left and 'LIBERTY' alongside the date to the right.

Reverse (back)

Depiction of Monticello, Jefferson's Virginia estate, with the legends 'E PLURIBUS UNUM', 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA', and the denomination 'FIVE CENTS'.

Estimated value

$0.05 to $0.25 for most circulated modern dates; higher for early dates, high uncirculated grades, or silver war nickels.

What drives this coin's value

Condition (especially Full Steps designations for Monticello), key dates (such as 1950-D), and silver composition for war years.

Grade assessment

Circulated condition with moderate wear on high points, consistent with general pocket change.

Mintage & rarity

Varies drastically by year; most post-1960 issues have very high mintages and are extremely common.

Authenticity & counterfeit red flags

Counterfeits are extremely rare for standard circulated Jefferson nickels due to low face value; focus authentication efforts only on rare key dates or error varieties.

Notable varieties & errors

1938-D/D and 1939-S/S overdate mint marks, 1943/2-P overdate, and the 1942-P doubled die obverse.

Similar coins

Buffalo Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter

Care & preservation

Handle by the edges with clean hands or cotton gloves. Store in a cool, dry place in inert holders like 2x2 cardboard flips or mylar flips. Avoid cleaning as it severely damages numismatic value.