Coinflation: Nickel intrinsic value and coin price

Last Update: May 09, 2008

1946 - 2008 Jefferson Nickel Value (United States)

U.S. MINT SPECIFICATIONS
Denomination:	$0.05
Obverse Image:	Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence.
Reverse Image:	1946-2004, 2006-2007: Monticello, Jefferson's mountaintop home in Virgina. 2005: Westward Journey Series including "American Bison" and "Ocean in view! O! The joy!".
Metal Composition:	75% copper, 25% nickel
Total Weight:	5.00 grams
Comments:	The 1938 through 1942 D versions of the nickel are also made of the same composition, but generally are sold for a premium over their melt value due to rarity.

Do you want to
advertise on Coinflation.com?

CALCULATING TODAY'S MELT VALUE (USD)

Using the latest metal prices and the specifications above, these are the numbers required to calculate melt value:

$3.7533

copper price / pound on May 09, 2008.

.75

copper %

$12.0735

nickel price / pound on May 09, 2008.

.25

nickel %

5.00

total weight in grams

.00220462262

pound/gram conversion factor (see note directly below)

The NYMEX uses pounds to price these metals, that means we need to multiply the metal price by .00220462262 to make the conversion to grams.

1. Calculate 75% copper value :

    (3.7533 × .00220462262 × 5.00 × .75) = $0.0310293

2. Calculate 25% nickel value :

    (12.0735 × .00220462262 × 5.00 × .25) = $0.0332713

3. Add the two together :

    $0.0310293 + $0.0332713 = $0.0643006

$0.0643006 is the melt value for the 1946-2008 nickel on May 09, 2008.

← Calculate the value of your own coins.

MINTAGE AND COLLECTIBLE VALUE (USD)

The "Year" column lists the year and mint mark on the coin -- D is for Denver, S is for San Francisco, and P is for Philadelphia. A coin without a mint mark means it was also minted in Philadelphia. The "Mintage" column is the number of coins struck and released by the U.S. Mint. The "Numismatic Value Range" column represents what people typically pay for that type of coin (usually a very wide price range depending on the condition).
Year	Mintage	Numismatic Value Range
1950	9,796,000	$0.50 - $15.00
1950 D	2,630,030	$10.00 - $65.00
If you think a coin should be added/subtracted, please send an email. If you're interested in learning more about grading coins, Photograde is an excellent resource.

EBAY AUCTIONS - JEFFERSON NICKELS

I believe that the old saying, "A coin is only worth what someone will pay for it," is absolutely true. I prefer eBay because it displays what people are actually paying for coins. Monthly coin price magazines and online price lists may not reflect current market conditions because they don't demonstrate what people are actually willing to pay.

View all Jefferson Nickel auctions or those with the least time left (below).

CHARTS
Long-term metal price charts for the Jefferson nickel: