1949 Jefferson Nickel
Base
About This Coin
The 1949 Jefferson Nickel is a United States nickel from the Jefferson Nickels Original Design 1938-2003 series — an early issue, 12th of 66 years in the series. In 1949, coins were struck at the Denver, San Francisco, and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 106.9 million. This ranks 6th 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. San Francisco mintage dropped sharply. The 1949-D/S RPM variety is a popular collector item. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 21.2 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 38 known die varieties for this date across 5 categories, including cud, doubled die obverse, doubled die reverse and 2 other types. Struck one year before the 1950 key date, the lowest-mintage regular issue in the series. Across its variants, estimated values range from $0 to $2.6K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $3.6K in MS67+ grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by Felix Schlag.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
