1997-P Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 470,972,000 made
- Mintage
- 470,972,000
- 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 1997-P Jefferson Nickel worth?
A worn 1997-P is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
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 1997-P Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 471 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1997-P 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 1997 Jefferson Nickel?
- On the obverse, near the date. "P" appears from 1980. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1997 are scarcer?
- The 1992-P at 399,552,000, the 1993-P at 412,076,000. So the 1997-P is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1997-P Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 470,972,000.
What to check on your 1997-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1997-D (467 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 1997-S Jefferson Nickel Proof (2,796,678 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 471 million made, the 1997-P 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 1997-P
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 470,972,000 in 1997, from 829 million the year before. In 1998 the figure was 688 million.
1997-D came to 467 million, so neither mint's 1997 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 64 Jefferson Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1955 with 7,888,000 made. The 1997-P is one of the easier ones. Within the 1990s it's 7th smallest of 20, between the 1997-D (467 million) and the 1991-P (614 million).
Matte finishes and the final original Monticello years (1993 to 2003)
Special matte finish nickels were made for collector sets in 1994 and 1997. The 1994-P came in a Jefferson coin and currency set marking his 250th birthday, while the 1997-P came in a set honoring the U.S. Botanic Garden. The 1997-P matte is scarce, with only about 25,000 made. Output climbed past a billion at each mint in 1999. Denver struck 1.5 billion in 2000.
Demand eased after 2000. Production fell to about 440 million at Philadelphia and 383 million at Denver in 2003, the last year of the original Schlag design before the Westward Journey series. Coins from these years are abundant. Full steps examples are generally easier to find than for earlier dates. San Francisco proofs show deep mirrors with frosted designs.
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 | 1997 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 470,972,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1997 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-P Jefferson Nickel | 470,972,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1997-P Jefferson Nickel Uncirculated | 25,000 | Collector uncirculated | – |
| 1997-D Jefferson Nickel | 466,640,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1997-S Jefferson Nickel Proof | 2,796,678 | 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.