2018-D Return to Monticello Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 626,880,000 made
- Mintage
- 626,880,000
- 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 2018-D Return to Monticello Nickel worth?
A worn 2018-D 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
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2018-D Return to Monticello Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 627 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 2018-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 2018 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 2018 are scarcer?
- The 2019-D at 527,040,000, the 2014-D at 570,720,000, the 2013-D at 615,600,000. So the 2018-D is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 2018-D Return to Monticello Nickel coins were made?
- 626,880,000.
What to check on your 2018-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 2018-P (630 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 2018-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof (898,986 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 627 million made, the 2018-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 2018-D
Denver made 626,880,000 in 2018, about the same as the year before. In 2019 the figure was 527 million.
2018-P came to 630 million, so neither mint's 2018 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Denver's 20 Return to Monticello Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 2024-D with 32,880,000 made. The 2018-D is one of the easier ones. Within the 2010s it's 12th smallest of 20, between the 2013-D (616 million) and the 2018-P (630 million).
Special finishes and the first W nickels (2017 to 2020)
In 2017 San Francisco struck an Enhanced Uncirculated nickel for the 225th anniversary set. In 2018 a reverse proof nickel was included in a 50th anniversary set marking San Francisco proof production. In 2020 West Point struck nickels for the first time, with a W mint mark, in proof and reverse proof versions issued as bonus coins in collector sets. A planned uncirculated W nickel was dropped from the 2020 Uncirculated Set.
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 disrupted the flow of coins through the economy. Nickel production rose to more than 780 million at Philadelphia and 830 million at Denver to keep up. Pieces struck for circulation in these years are easy to find. The special finishes and the W coins are the main collector focus. Their lower mintages make them the scarcest modern pieces in the series.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2018
The American Innovation dollar program began, with a new reverse for each state and territory celebrating an invention or innovator.
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 | 2018 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 626,880,000 |
| 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 2018 Return to Monticello Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-P Return to Monticello Nickel | 629,520,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2018-D Return to Monticello Nickel | 626,880,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2018-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof | 898,986 | Proof | – |
| 2018-S Return to Monticello Nickel Reverse Proof | 199,177 | Reverse 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.