1938 Jefferson Nickel Value
Mintage: 19,496,000
Finest Known: MS68 (NGC) MS67+ (PCGS)
Auction Record: $264 (MS67)
Delays in fine tuning the new Jefferson nickel design to incorporate feedback meant that production at the Philadelphia Mint did not begin until September. The first batches of 1938 Jefferson nickels were released in November.
The public had been waiting with bated breath, and millions of the new nickels were scooped up by the roll and by the bank bag (which holds 4,000 nickels). Because so many 1938 Jefferson nickels were saved before seeing circulation, they are easy to find today, even in higher Mint State grades.
1938 Jefferson nickel. Image: USA CoinBook
The Value of A 1938 Jefferson Nickel
Poor detail on the original master hub for the reverse of the nickel means that Full Step examples are more scarce than one would think. The finest-known Full Steps 1938 Jefferson nickel is a single MS68 5 Full Steps at PCGS, and five MS68 5FS at NGC (which undoubtedly includes resubmissions.) No 6 Full Steps 1938 Jefferson nickels are known to exist.
1938 Jefferson Nickel Price Guide
| Very Fine | Extremely Fine | About Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|
| $2 | $3 | $10 |
| Mint State 61 | Mint State 63 | Mint State 65 | Auction Record (MS67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $11 | $11 | $25 | $264 |
The information on this page does not constitute an offer to buy or sell the coin(s) referred to. Proof and prooflike examples of this issue may have greater or lesser "finest known" and different record auction prices.