1948-S Jefferson Nickel

The 1948-S Jefferson Nickel had a total mintage of only 11.3 million coins struck at the San Francisco Mint. This was a slightly smaller than the previous year’s issue at this mint, and is a relatively small mintage compared to many of the other issue dates in the series. While it does have a smaller mintage, it’s still relatively common in circulated grades up to about Mint State 65. Mint State 66 of the 1948-S Jefferson Nickel has thousands available even though it is scarce. There are less than a few dozen of these coins known in MS67, with the Full Step designation being very scarce.

History of the 1948-S Jefferson Nickel

The 1948-S Jefferson Nickel is an attractive coin for many reasons. It can be found fully struck with attractive surfaces and beautiful toning and coloring on some of the coins. Cherrypicking is advised when possible. It also has the popular ‘S’ mint mark to the side of Jefferson’s Monticello home on the reverse of the coin. The obverse features a profile of Thomas Jefferson himself that was designed by Felix Schlag who won a design competition for the coin series. The Jefferson Nickel has changed somewhat over the years, and is still in production today.