1969-S Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 120,165,000 made
- Mintage
- 120,165,000
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.21 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1969-S Jefferson Nickel worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full steps on Monticello (5FS or 6FS)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1969-S Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 120 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1969-S Jefferson Nickel silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1969 Jefferson Nickel?
- On the obverse, near the date. "P" appears from 1980. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 1969-S Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 120,165,000.
What to check on your 1969-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 1969-D (203 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1969-S Jefferson Nickel Proof (2,934,631 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. The steps of Monticello are the key: coins with 5 or 6 full steps (5FS / 6FS) sell for large premiums. On the obverse, check Jefferson's cheekbone and hair.
With 120 million made, the 1969-S still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1969-S
San Francisco made 120,165,000 in 1969, up from 100 million in 1968. In 1970 the figure was 241 million.
1969-D came to 203 million, so neither mint's 1969 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across San Francisco's 19 Jefferson Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1938-S with 4,105,000 made. The 1969-S is one of the easier ones. Within the 1960s it's 7th smallest of 17, between the 1967 (107 million) and the 1965 (136 million).
Mint marks move to the obverse (1968 to 1979)
When mint marks returned in 1968, they moved to the obverse, just to the right of the date. San Francisco struck circulating nickels from 1968 to 1970, then only proofs from 1971 onward. The 1971 proof nickel without an S, caused by a die that was never punched, is a major rarity, with only about 1,655 reported struck.
Demand grew through the 1970s with inflation. Output at the two main mints sometimes exceeded half a billion. Proofs from 1979 show Filled S and Clear S varieties. The clear S is scarcer. Coins from these years are common, though full steps examples from some Denver dates are hard to find. Many circulated pieces show weak strikes on the steps and on Jefferson's hair, the first places to check.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1969
A doubled die at San Francisco produced the 1969-S Doubled Die cent, one of the rarest Lincoln cent errors.
How to recognize it
Felix Schlag's portrait shows Thomas Jefferson facing left with IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and the date. The reverse shows the front of Monticello, Jefferson's home, with MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS below. The mint mark was to the right of the building until 1964 (above the dome on wartime silver nickels) and moved to the obverse, near the date, in 1968. Schlag's initials FS were added below the bust in 1966.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Jefferson Nickel (1938–2003) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1969 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 120,165,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1969 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-D Jefferson Nickel | 202,807,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1969-S Jefferson Nickel | 120,165,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1969-S Jefferson Nickel Proof | 2,934,631 | Proof | – |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.