1945 Jefferson Nickel

About This Coin

The 1945 Jefferson Nickel is a United States nickel from the Jefferson Nickels Original Design 1938-2003 series — an early issue, 8th of 66 years in the series. In 1945, coins were struck at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver Mints with a combined mintage of 215.5 million. This ranks 21st of 66 years by total mintage, below the series median of 617.5 million. The obverse features Thomas Jefferson facing left and the reverse displays Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Virginia estate. Final year of wartime silver composition. Standard copper-nickel alloy resumed in 1946. Struck in 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese, weighing 5 grams, 21.2 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 340 known die varieties for this date across 3 categories, including doubled die obverse, doubled die reverse, repunched mint mark. Produced 5 years before the celebrated 1950 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $5 to $14K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $25K in MS68FS grade at eBay. Designed by Felix Schlag.