Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto! (2024)

A List Of Valuable U.S. Nickels Worth Money

Your chances of findingvaluable nickels in everydaypocket change are pretty good — much like your odds of finding valuable pennies.

Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto! (1)

So, what are your old nickels worth?

Following are all of the U.S. nickels you should be holding onto. The nickels listed below are worth at least 2x face value… all the way up to $60 apiece!

In this article you will learn:

  • Which valuable nickels are easiest to find in spare change
  • All the places you should be looking for valuable nickels
  • How to identify silver nickels worth money
  • The 3 types of old nickels you should be saving
  • Which Jefferson nickels are worth the most money

Valuable Old Nickels Are Easy To Find

Of all the denominations in circulation, nickels provide you with the best chances of finding old and valuable coins in your pocket change.

Why is that?

The Jefferson nickel has been in circulation since 1938, and it remained mostly unchanged until 2004. That’s when the Westward Journey nickelshonoring the bicentennial of theLewis and Clark expeditionwere released, bringing new obverse and reverse designs to the 5-cent coin.

Unlike Lincoln wheat pennies(which almost everyone knows about and saves from circulation), there are many old Jefferson nickels made in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s that are still in circulation simply because they look much like the newer Jefferson nickels.

Even silver wartime Jefferson “nickels” look nearly identical to regular nickels — except for one distinguishing mark that I’ll tell you about in a minute.

My Favorite Way To Find Valuable Nickels

There’s a technique I normally use when I’m looking for old nickels, and it’s called coin roll searching.

Basically, instead of relying only on spare change to look for old coins, I like to go to the local bank or nearby grocery store and ask forrolls of coins.

This puts me at an advantage — because I’ll get to look through a larger quantity of coins from a certain denomination than I might normally get to see at any one time.

If I get lucky and find any coins that I wish to keep, I can just swapthose out with common pieces, and trade the roll back in for more coins to search through!

It’s really that simple. As you can see in this video:

How To Tell Silver Nickels From Regular Nickels

Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto! (2)

It’s really simple to tell a silver Jefferson nickel from a regular Jefferson nickel.

Silver nickels were made from 1942 through 1945 and have a large mintmark over the dome of Monticello on the reverse.

There are 3mintmarks to look for on silver nickels:

  • “P” – Philadelphia
  • “D” – Denver
  • “S” – San Francisco

For the record, the 1942 wartime nickel was the first U.S. coin on which a “P” mintmark was ever placed.

Not all 1942 nickels have the large mintmarks over Monticello, though.

For most of 1942, the 5-cent coin was made from nickel. However, in October of 1942 this changed — because nickel was needed to make artillery for troops in World War II.

Also worth noting… silver nickels aren’t made entirely from silver. In fact, the wartime nickel alloy consists of the following:

  • 56% copper
  • 35% silver
  • 9% manganese

How much are silver nickels worth? I’ve got the answer to that below!

Which OldNickels Are Worth The Most Money?

Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto! (3)

So, I know this is the part you’ve probably been waiting for — what are yourold nickels worth?

Below is a list of the specific nickelsyou should be looking for. All are worth 10 cents or more each. Some have a value of $1 or more, and a few are even worth more than $10.

These old coins are out there in circulation, and I know this because I’ve found many of them myself in pocket changeand in rolls of coins that I’ve looked through over the years.

Good luck!

These are the 3 types of nickels you should be saving:

  1. Liberty Head nickels – they’reworth $2 and up
  2. Buffalo nickels – while dateless Buffalo nickels are worth 20 cents or more each, those with dates are worth $1 and up
  3. Jefferson nickels made before 1960 – old Jefferson nickels made in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s have a value of 10 cents or more (except for the ones listed below, which have much higher values… especially those 1942-1945 silver nickels!)

Jefferson Nickels Worth More Than 10 Cents Each

All of the Jefferson nickel valueslisted below are for coins in average circulated condition. (Higher-grade pieces are worth more. Cleaned and damaged nickelsare worth less.)

  • 1938 nickel (no mintmark) – 50 cents
  • 1938-D nickel – $1
  • 1938-S nickel – $1.50
  • 1939-S nickel – 50 cents
  • 1942-D over horizontal D nickel – $1
  • 1942-P nickel – $2
  • 1942-S nickel – $2
  • 1943-P nickel – $2
  • 1943/2-P nickel – $50
  • 1943-P Doubled Eye nickel – $25
  • 1943-D nickel – $2
  • 1943-S nickel – $2
  • 1944-P nickel – $2
  • 1944-D nickel – $2
  • 1944-S nickel – $2
  • 1945-P nickel – $2
  • 1945-P Doubled Die Reverse nickel – $20
  • 1945-D nickel – $2
  • 1945-S nickel – $2
  • 1949-D/S nickel – $60
  • 1949-S nickel – 30 cents
  • 1950 nickel (no mintmark) – 50 cents
  • 1950-D nickel – $10
  • 1951 nickel (no mintmark) – 25 cents
  • 1951-D nickel – 25 cents
  • 1951-S nickel – 50 cents
  • 1952-D nickel – 20 cents
  • 1955 nickel (no mintmark) – 25 cents
  • 1955 D/S nickel – $20
  • 1958 nickel (no mintmark) – 20 cents

More Info About Valuable Nickels

In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other resources to help you find the most valuable U.S. nickels in circulation and in collections:

  • Shield Nickel Values (from 1866 to 1883)
  • Liberty Nickel Values (from 1883 to 1912)
  • How Much Does It Cost To Make A U.S. Nickel?
  • 25 U.S. Nickels Worth $50 Apiece… Or More!
  • How To Determine The Condition (Or Grade) Of Your Nickel

Next Up:

Joshua

I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!

Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto! (2024)

FAQs

Most Valuable Nickels: A List Of Silver Nickels, Buffalo Nickels & Old Nickels Worth Holding Onto!? ›

One of the finest examples is a nickel obverse 1916 P double die, which has sold for between $66,000 and $281,750 due to a rare die anomaly. The 1924-S Buffalo Nickel is another highly sought after item. It is produced in small batches, and typically costs between $2,500 and $4,000.

What year of Buffalo nickels are worth money? ›

One of the finest examples is a nickel obverse 1916 P double die, which has sold for between $66,000 and $281,750 due to a rare die anomaly. The 1924-S Buffalo Nickel is another highly sought after item. It is produced in small batches, and typically costs between $2,500 and $4,000.

Why is a 1964 nickel worth so much? ›

Because there was a date freeze, some 1964 nickels were struck in 1965 and well into 1966. There were over 2 billion 1964 and 1964-D nickels struck. Though 1964-dated issues are common, some rarities and varieties drive up the marketplace value for the 1964 Jefferson Nickel.

What year are nickels worth keeping? ›

Those were followed by the Liberty Head nickel (1883-1913), Buffalo or Indian Head nickel (1913-1938) and Jefferson nickel (1938-present). In terms of rarity and value, you're most likely to find the most valuable nickels in older, pre-World War I mintages.

Are 2005 nickels worth anything? ›

A 2005 Thomas Jefferson Buffalo Nickel minted in Denver is only worth face value for nickels in average condition. However, ones in MS-64 condition are worth about $1.00. While, one in MS-66 condition is worth only $46.00. That's for uncirculated coins only.

Are 1935 Buffalo nickels worth anything? ›

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2024, a Buffalo Nickel from 1935 in circulated condition is worth between $0.05 and $37.50. However, on the open market 1935 S Nickels in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $7000.

Are pre-1965 nickels worth anything? ›

Jefferson nickels generally range in value from face (five cents) to a few dollars. Even the 35% silver wartime nickels bring only a few dollars in circulated condition. Uncirculated coins have a huge range of value, from a few dollars to tens of thousands for mint-condition pre-1965 samples.

How much is a 1970 nickel worth? ›

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2024, a Jefferson Nickel from 1970 in circulated condition is worth between $0.10 and $0.20. However, on the open market 1970 S Nickels in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $175.

Is a 1954 nickel worth anything? ›

Uncirculated or Mint State (MS) 1954 nickels are most attractive to collectors and fetch the highest prices. A 1954 nickel in a circulated grade might be worth only its face value, while a 1954 nickel in a high uncirculated grade could be worth significantly more, particularly if it has a 'D' or 'S' mintmark.

Is a 1966 nickel worth anything? ›

As a modern circulating coin with a mintage of over 150 million pieces, the vast majority of 1966 Jefferson nickels are only worth face value. However, in low Mint State, the coin does begin to see a relatively substantial premium over face value; MS-60 to MS-62 examples can be easily found for $1 or less.

What's a 1957 nickel worth? ›

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2024, a Jefferson Nickel from 1957 in circulated condition is worth between $0.10 and $0.20. However, on the open market 1957 D Nickels in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $200.

What is the error on the 1964 penny? ›

This 1964 Lincoln cent struck on a copper-nickel clad dime planchet rather than the silver dime planchet one might expect this year is graded Extremely Fine 45 by PCGS, which calls it a transitional error on the insert.

Is a 2004 nickel worth anything? ›

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2024, a Jefferson Nickel from 2004 P in circulated condition is worth between $0.10 and $0.20.

What is a 1997 special nickel? ›

The 1997 Satin Finish Jefferson Nickel was produced with specially prepared planchets and coin dies. Therefore, most coins tend to be in high Uncirculated grades of MS65 and higher with some of them being up to perfect condition.

Is a 1940 nickel rare? ›

The 1940-D Jefferson Nickel is a common coin in all grades up to and including MS-67 Full Steps. Apparently, the Denver Mint produced some very nice, fully struck Nickels in this year, making this one of the most affordable, early Jefferson Nickels.

How can you tell if a 1964 nickel is special strike? ›

The 1964 Special Strike Jefferson Nickels usually display an extremely sharp strike, as well as having sharp and square edge rims. The surfaces feature a Satin like appearance. However, the coins are not circulation strikes, nor are they proofs, hence, the coins are referred to as Special Strikes.

How much is a 1926 nickel worth? ›

1926 Buffalo Nickel Value

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of June 2024, a Buffalo Nickel from 1926 in circulated condition is worth between $0.50 and $42.50. However, on the open market 1926 Nickels in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $6000.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Greg Kuvalis

Last Updated:

Views: 5474

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg Kuvalis

Birthday: 1996-12-20

Address: 53157 Trantow Inlet, Townemouth, FL 92564-0267

Phone: +68218650356656

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Knitting, Amateur radio, Skiing, Running, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.