2009-D Return to Monticello Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 46,800,000 made
- Mintage
- 46,800,000
- 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 2009-D Return to Monticello 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
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2009-D Return to Monticello Nickel rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 47 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 2009-D Return to Monticello 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 2009 Return to Monticello Nickel?
- On the obverse, below the date (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 2009 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Denver issue had a smaller mintage than the 2009-D.
- How many 2009-D Return to Monticello Nickel coins were made?
- 46,800,000.
What to check on your 2009-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2009-P (40 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 2009-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof (2,179,867 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the steps of Monticello and Jefferson's cheek. Fully struck coins with five or six steps sell for premiums in high grades.
With 47 million made, the 2009-D 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 2009-D
Production at Denver fell off a cliff in 2009. Only 46,800,000 were made, against 346 million the year before. That drop is why the 2009-D is the one people look for. In 2010 the figure was 230 million.
2009-P came to 40 million, so neither mint's 2009 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Only the 2024-D has a lower mintage among Denver's 20 Return to Monticello Nickels. Among the 2000s issues, only the 2009-P had a smaller run.
Forward-facing Jefferson and the 2009 drop (2006 to 2009)
In 2006 the Return to Monticello nickel brought back Felix Schlag's Monticello, re-engraved with sharper detail, paired with a new obverse by Jamie Franki showing Jefferson facing forward. The portrait is based on an 1800 painting by Rembrandt Peale. Liberty appears in Jefferson's handwriting. Satin finish coins were included in mint sets. Output in 2006 passed 1.5 billion combined.
Rising metal prices pushed the cost of making a nickel above face value by 2006. The Mint restricted melting of nickels at the end of that year. The Great Recession then cut demand sharply. Output in 2009 fell to 39.8 million at Philadelphia and 46.8 million at Denver, the lowest since the 1950s. As a result 2009 nickels turn up in change far less often than other modern dates.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2009
Four special reverse designs marked the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth on the cent. Quarters honored the District of Columbia and five US territories. The Native American dollar began a new reverse each year.
How to recognize it
Jamie Franki's obverse shows Jefferson facing forward, with LIBERTY in his handwriting and the date and mint mark below. The reverse returns to the front view of Monticello with MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS beneath and E PLURIBUS UNUM above.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Return to Monticello Nickel (2006–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 46,800,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Jamie Franki (obverse); Felix Schlag (reverse, re-engraved) |
Other 2009 Return to Monticello Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-P Return to Monticello Nickel | 39,840,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-D Return to Monticello Nickel | 46,800,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2009-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof | 2,179,867 | 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.