What Nickels Are Worth Money?

Quick Answer: Which Nickels Are Worth Money

The nickels worth real money are Buffalo nickel rarities like the 1937-D three-legged buffalo and 1918/7-D overdate ($500 to five figures), Jefferson key dates like the 1950-D ($10-$30+), 1942-1945 silver war nickels (roughly $1.50-$2 each in silver value alone), and Liberty V nickel scarce dates like the 1885 and 1912-S ($100 to several thousand dollars). At the very top sits the legendary 1913 Liberty Head nickel — only five exist, and examples have sold for over $4 million.

Unlike pennies, most nickels in circulation today really are worth just five cents — the composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) has been unchanged since 1866 except for the war years, so there is no melt-value angle on modern coins. The value is concentrated in older series, better dates, dramatic errors, and exceptional strike quality.

The good news: any Buffalo nickel is worth keeping, war nickels are easy to identify at a glance, and several valuable Jefferson varieties can still turn up in circulation. Here is what to look for, series by series.

Buffalo Nickels Worth Money (1913-1938)

Buffalo (Indian Head) nickels are the most popular nickel series with collectors. These are the coins that matter most:

Beyond the stars, most mint-marked Buffalo nickels from 1913-1927 are worth $5-$100+ in collectible circulated grades — the 1921-S, 1924-S, and 1926-S are particularly scarce. Common late-1930s dates run $1-$3 with full dates.

Jefferson Nickels: Key Dates and War Nickels

Jefferson nickels (1938-present) are mostly common, but several dates and one wartime composition change are worth knowing:

• 1942-1945 Silver War Nickels — Struck in 35% silver to save nickel for the war. Identify them instantly by the oversized mint mark (P, D, or S) above the dome of Monticello — the first US coins ever to use a P mint mark. Each contains about 0.056 troy oz of silver, worth roughly $1.50-$2 at recent silver prices, with nicer examples worth more to collectors.
• 1939-D — The lowest-mintage regular Jefferson (3.5 million). Worth $3-$10 circulated and $30-$60+ uncirculated.
• 1950-D — The famous key date, with just 2.6 million struck. So widely hoarded that uncirculated coins are actually easier to find than worn ones: $10-$20 in most grades, more in gem condition.
• 1943/2-P Overdate — A wartime overdate showing traces of a 2 under the 3. Worth $50-$300+ depending on grade.
• 1939 Doubled Monticello — Clear doubling of MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS on the reverse; $50-$400+.
• Full Steps designation — Jefferson nickels showing five or six complete steps at the base of Monticello are dramatically scarcer than ordinary strikes. For some dates a coin worth 25 cents normally becomes a $50-$1,000+ coin with certified Full Steps.

A jar of old nickels is worth sorting for the big mint mark over Monticello alone — war nickels are the one nickel you can profitably pull from any accumulation, no grading knowledge required.

Liberty V Nickels (1883-1913)

Liberty Head or "V" nickels (the Roman numeral V marks the denomination) include several genuinely scarce dates:

• 1885 — The key date of the series, with only 1.5 million struck. Worth $400-$800 even heavily worn and $1,500-$3,000+ in higher circulated grades.
• 1886 — The semi-key: $200-$400 worn, $600-$1,500 in better grades.
• 1912-S — The only San Francisco V nickel and the lowest mintage of the series (238,000). Worth $100-$300 worn and $500-$1,500+ in higher grades.
• 1883 No CENTS — The famous first-year type without the word CENTS, which con artists gold-plated and passed as $5 coins ("racketeer nickels"). Heavily saved, so it is common and affordable: $5-$30 in circulated grades.
• 1913 Liberty Head — The legend. Five examples were struck under mysterious circumstances after the series officially ended, and all five are accounted for in museums and famous collections. Examples have sold for $3-$4.5 million+. You will not find one in change — but its fame is why old nickels always deserve a second look.

Common-date Liberty nickels from the 1890s-1900s are worth $2-$5 in worn condition and $25-$75 uncirculated.

Shield Nickels (1866-1883)

America's first nickel five-cent piece. Every Shield nickel is collectible simply for its age:

• Common dates (1866-1876, 1882-1883) — $20-$40 in worn grades, $150-$300 uncirculated.
• 1867 With Rays — The reverse rays between the stars were removed early in 1867, making the Rays variety scarcer: $30-$75 worn, considerably more in high grades.
• 1877 and 1878 — Proof-only years with tiny mintages; even impaired examples bring $500-$2,000+.
• 1879-1881 — Low-mintage business strikes worth $200-$500+ in circulated grades.

Shield nickels are also a rich hunting ground for repunched dates and die cracks, which add modest premiums for variety specialists.

Nickel Errors Worth Looking For

Beyond the named varieties above, keep an eye out for these error types on any nickel:

• Off-center strikes — 10-50% off-center with a visible date: $10-$100+.
• Wrong planchet errors — Nickels struck on cent or dime planchets (noticeably undersized): $100-$1,000+.
• 2004-2005 Westward Journey errors — The "Speared Bison" 2005 die gouge variety brings $100-$1,500 depending on grade.
• Repunched mint marks and die cracks — Modest but real premiums of $3-$50 for clear examples.
• Clipped planchets — A curved bite missing from the edge: $10-$50.

As with pennies, distinguish true doubled dies (rounded, notched doubling) from machine doubling (flat and shelf-like), which adds no value. Anything potentially worth $500+ should go to PCGS or NGC for authentication before you sell — the 1937-D three-legged and 1918/7-D are heavily counterfeited.

Where to Sell Rare Nickels