The Jefferson nickel was made in 1938 as a replacement for Indian Head nickels. These coins are new and have importance for collectors, and the coins come with full step types. The 1974 nickel coins are part of a series made in 1938 and have importance in USA history. These nickels are also called Jefferson nickels since they come with a photo of the 3rd US president and a commemorative. In this post, we will cover details, features, and related errors for finding the value of 1974 nickels.
1974 Nickel Value Chart
| 1974 Nickel | Uncirculated (MS-60) |
Uncirculated (MS-65) |
Proof (PR-65) |
|
1974 Jefferson Nickels
|
$0.30 | 4 | – |
| 1974 D nickel | $0.30 | 4 | / |
|
1974 S Jefferson Nickels
|
$3.01 |
1974 No mint mark nickel value
The Philadelphia mint made 601,752,000 nickel coins in 1974. These coins are used for circulation. The Philadelphia-minted coins do not have a mint mark. While nickels made at wartime come with a P mint mark over Monticello.
The 1974 nickels in circulated conditions are about 20 cents. Uncirculated low-grade 1974 nickels are about $7 for MS63 grade. MS65 nickels are about $30, and MS66+ can be about $120.
MS67 grade 1974 nickels are up to $125. The high-value 1974 MS66 + nickels sold in 2020 for $2375.
1974 D nickel value
The Denver Mint also made 1974 nickels, and this mint made about 277,373,000. These coins are low mintage as compared to not mint mark nickels, but most of them are in good condition for circulated conditions. These coins are easy to find for circulation. Uncirculated condition coins are rare and high value. The 1974 D nickels are about 20 cents for circulated conditions, and uncirculated conditions are about $2,100 for MS67+.
The 1974 D MS67+ grade nickel sold in 2015 for $1645.
1974 S proof nickel value
The S mint made 1974 proof nickels, and about 2,612,568 proof coins were made. Proof coins are not used for circulation, and these coins are made for collectors. These coins are made with the use of a certain die and provide a shining look. But this is still a high mintage for proof coins, which inevitably suppresses the coin’s value.
1974 nickel proof coins exist in cameo and ultra-cameo grades. The value of 1974 PF69 grade coins is about $13, and ultra cameo grade coins are about $20.
The 1974 proof nickels sold at auction for $3,819 in 2015.
1974 Jefferson Nickel Errors
1974 Full Step Nickel Error
The common and famous error seen on 1974 nickel coins is the full-step nickel error. The full step coins come with 6 steps on the Monticello building. These coins are rare, and 5 steps are needed for the FS grade. Full-step nickels from 1974 are rare and of high value. The 1974 FS nickel sold in a 2020 auction for $4,230.
| Condition | 1974 No Mint mark nickel |
| MS 60 to MS62 | 0.5 |
| MS 63 | $2 |
| MS 64 | $6 |
| MS 65 | $15 |
| MS 66 | $75 |
1974 No Mint mark FS nickel
| Condition | 1974 No Mint mark FS nickel |
| MS 64 | $20 |
| MS 65 | $55 |
| MS 66 | $700 |
| Condition | 1974 D FS nickel |
| MS 64 | $7 |
| MS 65 | $15 |
| MS 66 | $40 |
| MS 67 | $1,700 |
1974 Nickel Struck on Wrong Planchet
This error is important in US history and part of the 100 greatest coin errors. In this error 1974 nickel was struck on a 1973 nickel. The letter 3 of 1973 is seen on the back side of the letter M of the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.
This coin is rare, and high-value coins can get about $18,000.
1974 Jefferson Nickel History
The Jefferson nickel was first made in 1938 as a replacement for the Buffalo nickel, which had been used for circulation for 25 years. Buffalo nickels were attractive coins and have full details, and they have a tribute to Native American history. But these coins get marks and damage due to circulation.
So the USA Mint decided to change the nickel’s design and add a photo of President Jefferson. The design of these coins was selected through competition, and the design of Felix Schlag designer selected for these coins, won a $1000 prize.
Nickel design coins are important for US history, and their composition changed from 1942 to 1946. The composition used for the Jefferson nickel was the same as older coins had, that is copper and nickel mixture. The wartime nickels were made with 56 percent copper and silver with manganese. The postwar coins then had normal nickel and copper composition. The new design of nickel coins was used until 2003. The mintage of 1974 nickels is as follows for different mints.
| mint | Minted |
| 1974 No Mint mark nickel | 601,752,000 |
| 1974 D nickel | 277,373,000 |
| 1974 S nickel (proof) | 2,612,568 |
| Total | 881,737,568 |
Features of 1974 Nickels
1974 Jefferson nickel obverse
- The front side of 1974 nickel coins comes with a photo of President Jefferson. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST is also written, and the word LIBERTY is with the minting date 1974.
- The mint marks D and S are also on this side. The designer’s FS is also on the front side of the coins.
Reverse of the 1974 Jefferson nickel
- The back side of nickel coins comes with a Monticello home photo which was built near Charlottesville. The word MONTICELLO is also written on this side, and the FIVE CENT denomination is written with the country name UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, seen there
Some other features of 1974 nickels are as
| 1974 Jefferson nickel | |
| Face value | $0.05 |
| Shape | Round |
| Coin diameter | 0.83465 inches |
| Coin weight | 0.17637 ounces |
| Coin thickness | 0.07677 inches |
| Compound | 3/4 copper with 1/4 nickel |
| Edge | Plain |
Is the 1974 Jefferson nickel rare?
Normally Jefferson nickel coins are not rare, and their value is usually lessn $1. But some proof nickel coins are high value and rare for mint state with full step error that can be sold for thousands of dollars.
Which 1974 Jefferson nickel are valuable?
| Mint Mark | Grade | Error | Auction Price | Year |
| — | MS 67 | FS | $4,230 | 2020 |
| — | PCGS Genuine | — | $2,375 | 2021 |
| S | PR 70 DCAM | — | $3,819 | 2015 |
| D | MS 67+ | — | $1,645 | 2015 |
| D | MS 67 | FS | $1,495 | 2010 |
Does a 1974 nickel have silver content?
No, 1974 nickels do not have silver content and are made of copper and nickel.
Where is the mint mark on a 1974 nickel?
The 1974 nickel comes with the mint mark for D and S mints on the front side. The mint mark can be seen below the 4 digits in the number 1974.
How much is a 1974 nickel worth today?
The 1974 nickels in circulated conditions are worth about $0.10 to $0.20. The 1974 D nickel in uncirculated condition has a value of about $1750.
Read also
- 1966 Nickel Value: Features, Error, Types, Mint mark
- 1952 nickel value: Features, Error, Types & Mint Mark
- 1934 Buffalo nickel value: Features, Error, Types MInt Mark
- 1959 Nickel value, Features, Error Types & Mint mark
- 1944 Nickel Value: Features, Error, Types & Mint mark