1939 Nickel: What to Look For On This Popular Coin

Image source: Pixabay

All About the 1939 Nickel of the Jefferson Nickel Series

The 1939 nickel belongs to the Jefferson Nickel Series, which has been in circulation since 1938. It is considered the longest-running series among the four nickel series, namely: Shield, Liberty Head, Buffalo and the Jefferson Nickel series.

The Jefferson series has some valuable and collectible coins that have special features in them that make them unique, and scarce. If a coin is struck less than 10 million in total, it is considered unique and scarce, and that is what numismatists look for, the unique and scarce, which are worth several times their face value.

The most valuable Jefferson Nickels are those from 1938 to the 1960s.

Rare 1939 Nickels

It was already mentioned that when a coin is struck less than 10 million total, it is already considered a scarce coin. There is not enough number of the coins in circulation, and if they are from the early years such as 1939, they are considered valuable.

Five-cent coins made in 1939 also have scarce and valuable ones, such as the 1939-D and the 1939-S nickels.

The number of 1939-D nickels produced during that year was only 3.5 million, so it was a far cry to the 10 million.

1939-D (Denver) nickels can fetch from $12 to as much as $200 if they are in good condition. Imagine a five-cent coin that is worth many many times its face value. The value of $12 is for coins that are in average condition, with a few flaws caused by decades of wear and tear in circulation, while the $200 value is for those that are in mint condition, meaning the coin is in top shape, not much scratches on the surface and whatnot.

Another scarce 1939 nickel is the 1939-S. S stands for San Francisco, where the coins were minted.

"The most valuable Jefferson Nickels are those from 1938 to the 1960s."

There were only a total of 6.3 million of these coins produced. An average condition coin can be worth $2, while those that are in mint condition can fetch up to $80.

Both the 1939-D and the 1939-S nickels were pre-war coins, meaning the composition was still 25% nickel and 75% copper. Wartime Jefferson nickels produced from 1942 no longer had nickel in them, as it was allocated to produce artillery for the war. A combination of manganese, silver and copper was used for wartime nickels.

1939 5C Doubled Monticello

The Jefferson Nickel Series has three Doubled Dies, including the 1943 Double Die obverse, the 1945 Doubled Die reverse and the 1939 Doubled Die reverse.

A doubled die is a result of the striking of the coin, when the coin was struck twice on the die, causing the image or the words to double in appearance. The 1939 nickel has the most obvious doubling on all three Jefferson nickels.

These nickels were minted in Philadelphia, as evident on the P on the reverse of the coin. The doubling can be seen on the words, as well as on the Monticello Dome. There approximately 1,500 of these coins.

Spotting a Rare 1939 Jefferson Nickel

You may have an old Jefferson nickel in your purse right now, and you are unaware of it. To the untrained eye, most nickels look the same, but on closer inspection, they have differences as well as their own flaws and features that make them unique.

There are a few things you can do to be able to determine if the 1939 nickel you have in your possession will fetch a high amount at auction.

The Internet is a great place to look for information regarding these rare nickels and how to spot one. You should have a rare nickel guide on what features or flaws on the coins you should look for that determine their worth. This way you can easily spot them and not grope blindly on what to look for.

If you are an amateur numismatist you will need a guide. And a magnifier if you must, to take a closer look at finer features of the coin.

Although Jefferson nickels, in particular those minted in 1939, may only have values slightly higher than their face value, they are still valuable. If you are a newbie coin collector, you can keep your valuable nickels, or you can sell them at auctions if you have no desire of collecting them.