2021-D Return to Monticello Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 798,000,000 made
- Mintage
- 798,000,000
- 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 2021-D Return to Monticello Nickel worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety.
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 2021-D Return to Monticello Nickel rare?
- No. With 798 million made, it's one of the most common Return to Monticello Nickels.
- Is the 2021-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 2021 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 2021 are scarcer?
- The 2024-D at 32,880,000, the 2025-D at 322,320,000, the 2019-D at 527,040,000, plus 5 more. So the 2021-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 2021-D Return to Monticello Nickel coins were made?
- 798,000,000.
What to check on your 2021-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 2021-P (773 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 2021-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof (513,866 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 798 million made, the 2021-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 2021-D
Denver made 798,000,000 in 2021, about the same as the year before. In 2022 the figure was 778 million.
2021-P came to 773 million, so neither mint's 2021 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 2021-D is one of the easier ones. Within the 2020s it's 11th smallest of 12, between the 2020-P (786 million) and the 2020-D (838 million).
Sharp swings in output (2021 to 2025)
Production stayed near 770 to 800 million at each mint in 2021 and 2022, then eased in 2023. In 2024 output dropped sharply to 79.9 million at Philadelphia and 32.9 million at Denver, with Denver even lower than its 2009 recession figure. The Denver total is the smallest for that mint in the Return to Monticello series by a wide margin.
In 2025 the Mint ended cent production. Nickel output rose again to 443.8 million at Philadelphia and 322.3 million at Denver. The cost to make a nickel remained well above five cents through these years. Proofs from San Francisco continued, with mintages falling to around 300,000 by 2025. Circulating coins are common, but the low mintage 2024 issues are worth setting aside when found.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2021
The America the Beautiful quarter program ended and a new reverse showing General Washington crossing the Delaware took its place. Morgan and Peace dollars were struck again for their centennial.
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 | 2021 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 798,000,000 |
| 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 2021 Return to Monticello Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-P Return to Monticello Nickel | 772,780,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2021-D Return to Monticello Nickel | 798,000,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2021-S Return to Monticello Nickel Proof | 513,866 | 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.