1959-D Jefferson Nickel

The 1959-D Jefferson Nickel had a total mintage of over 160 million coins struck at the Denver Mint. The Denver Mint was on a roll these past few years with these huge mintages of the nickel. This is good news for the collector looking for an easy find as this is one of the more common coins in the series. While it does have a large mintage, it suffered from the same issue as some of the previous issues at this location, poor strike quality. Many examples of the 1959-D Jefferson Nickel have scratches and nicks and others suffer from a weak strike. This coin becomes scarce in Mint State and especially with the Full Step designation once it reaches Mint State 65 and Mint State 66.

History of the 1959-D Thomas Jefferson Nickel

Cherrypicking is necessary when searching for that ideal 1959-D Thomas Jefferson Nickel due to the problem of many of the coins having surface abrasions like nicks and scratches, as well as a weaker strike. While it is more difficult to locate in higher grades, it’s still relatively affordable in those grades which makes this a valuable coin for what you’re getting. The original design was created by Felix Schlag who won the Jefferson Nickel design competition. His images feature a left-facing profile of Thomas Jefferson’s head, and the reverse showcases Jefferson’s plantation home, the Monticello. The ‘D’ mint mark is also found on the reverse of the coin. The Jefferson Nickel is still in production today, and the designs have changed from the original over the years.