American Innovation Dollar · Dollar Coins

2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar Proof

Proof struck at the San Francisco Mint · 149,885 made

Proof
Mintage
149,885
Metal
Manganese brass
Weight
8.1 g
Diameter
26.49 mm

Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.

Copper content7.17grams
Value band: Small premium

Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.

What is a 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar Proof worth?

Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.

What would make yours worth more:

  • Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
  • A die variety or minting error

For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.

Quick answers

Is the 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar Proof rare?
Not especially. The Mint made 149,885 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
Is the 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar Proof silver?
No. It's manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel). Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
Where is the mint mark on a 2019 American Innovation Dollar?
On the edge, incused with the date. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
How many 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb Innovation Dollar proofs were made?
149,885.
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What to check on your 2019-S

  • Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2019-D (559,675 made).
  • Judge the grade under good light. These are sold in rolls, bags and sets, so most survive uncirculated. Value depends on luster and freedom from marks.

Proofs from 2019 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.

The story of the 2019-S New Jersey: Lightbulb

Elsewhere in US coinage in 2019

The West Point Mint struck quarters with a "W" mint mark for the first time and released them into circulation to encourage people to search their change.

How to recognize it

The New Jersey: Lightbulb design

Thomas Edison's incandescent lightbulb, developed at his Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey, is honored on this 2019 dollar. Edison's team demonstrated a practical bulb in 1879 and later refined the filament so it could last about 1,200 hours. The reverse shows a single Edison bulb set against an ornate background, with the inscription NEW JERSEY. Reliable electric light encouraged the building of power stations and wiring systems that changed homes, streets and factories. Paul C. Balan designed the reverse, which Phebe Hemphill sculpted.

The American Innovation Dollar design

The obverse shows the Statue of Liberty in profile with IN GOD WE TRUST and $1. Each reverse honors an innovation or innovator from one state or territory, issued in the order the states joined the Union. The date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are lettered on the edge, which is where to look for the mint mark.

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Mintage chart

American Innovation Dollar circulation mintagesLog scale · hover or tap a bar · 2018–2025
100K1M

Specifications

SeriesAmerican Innovation Dollar (2018–present)
Year2019
MintSan Francisco Mint
Mint mark"S"
Strike typeProof
Mintage149,885
Face value$1
CompositionManganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel)
Weight8.1 grams
Diameter26.49 mm
EdgeLettered with the date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM
DesignerVarious artists

Other 2019 American Innovation Dollar issues

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Mintage: American Innovation dollars (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.