Jefferson Nickel
Jefferson Nickel 1938-1941: Major Varieties and Errors
CoinHunt Coin Guide
Jefferson Nickel: 1938-1941
Mint dates covered: 1938-1941
Mints represented: Philadelphia (no mintmark), Denver (D), San Francisco (S)
Design
Felix Schlag won the 1938 competition for the new five-cent coin. The obverse depicts Thomas Jefferson in profile; the reverse depicts Monticello. The U.S. Mint records the standard coin at 5.00 grams, 21.21 millimeters, a plain edge, and a composition of 25% nickel with the balance copper. The 1938-2003 Jefferson/Monticello design family began with Schlag’s work, although the Mint revised his winning reverse before coinage and strengthened the reverse hub again during 1939. [1] [2]
Key Design Details
- Obverse (front): Jefferson faces left. IN GOD WE TRUST is at the left; LIBERTY and the date are at the right. Denver and San Francisco mintmarks on these dates appear on the reverse, to the right of Monticello.
- Reverse (back): Monticello occupies the center with E PLURIBUS UNUM above and MONTICELLO, FIVE CENTS and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA below.
- 1939 hub transition: Both reverse hubs occur at all three mints in 1939. Begin with the letter S in reverse inscriptions, comparing serif geometry with authenticated examples; inspect the S in PLURIBUS as an additional marker. The Reverse of 1938 has less-developed/straighter serif treatment; the Reverse of 1940 shows a more pronounced upper serif in PLURIBUS and revised lettering. Then corroborate using the more sharply bounded Monticello steps on the revised hub. Weak strikes and wear can obscure steps, so steps alone are insufficient. This design variety is distinct from the Full Steps strike designation. [3] [6]
- Scope rule: The list below follows the 1938-1941 circulation-strike entries displayed by NGC VarietyPlus. No unlisted variety has been added. NGC’s cross-references to CONECA and older/newer Fivaz-Stanton numbering are preserved where NGC supplies them. [2]
Varieties
1938
1938 DDO FS-101
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Examine BERTY in LIBERTY for raised, separated letter contours and notching, then inspect the adjacent star. Compare the complete arrangement with the published FS-101 attribution; flat, lower shelf-like displacement is not hub doubling. [2]
Catalog references: FS-101; CONECA DDO-002; old FS-021.
1938 QDO FS-105
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Begin at the digits 1938 and continue to IN GOD WE TRUST. Look for multiple distinct raised contours rather than a single flat offset; confirm the pattern against FS-105 reference images. [2]
Catalog references: FS-105; CONECA DDO-005; old FS-021.5; NGC VP-001.
1938-D
1938-D DDO Jefferson VP-001
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the portrait for the documented secondary contours, using the published VP-001 plate to identify the specific portrait feature. A general outline or an isolated contact mark cannot establish this attribution. [2]
Catalog references: NGC VP-001; CONECA DDO-001.
1939
1939 Reverse of 1938
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms and the S in PLURIBUS for the original hub serif pattern; use the softer, less bounded Monticello steps as corroboration, not sole proof. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939 Reverse of 1940
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms, especially the more pronounced upper serif in PLURIBUS; corroborate with the revised, more sharply bounded Monticello steps. Weak strike can make the steps appear soft. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939 DDR Reverse of 1940 FS-801
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
The classic Doubled Monticello shows a pronounced eastward to northeastward secondary image on MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS, especially to the right of the letters. Inspect the portico columns for distinct secondary vertical elements. Confirm the entire reverse pattern, not merely thick lettering. [2] [5]
Catalog references: FS-801; CONECA DDR-001; old FS-022; NGC VP-001.
1939 QDR Reverse of 1940 FS-802
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Concentrate on FIVE CENTS, especially IVE and CENTS, for extra raised contours and thickened letterforms. Compare the full multi-impression pattern with FS-802 reference plates; do not attribute ordinary strike doubling as quadrupled-die doubling. [2]
Catalog references: FS-802; CONECA DDR-002; old FS-022.5; NGC VP-002.
1939-D
1939-D Reverse of 1938
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms and the S in PLURIBUS for the original hub serif pattern; use the softer, less bounded Monticello steps as corroboration, not sole proof. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939-D DDO Reverse of 1938 VP-001
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect LIBERTY and the date for the repeatable raised doubling shown in the NGC VP-001 attribution. Confirm the Reverse of 1938 independently; the reverse hub type alone does not prove a doubled obverse. [2]
Catalog references: NGC VP-001; CONECA DDO-001.
1939-D Reverse of 1940
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms, especially the more pronounced upper serif in PLURIBUS; corroborate with the revised, more sharply bounded Monticello steps. Weak strike can make the steps appear soft. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939-S
1939-S Reverse of 1938
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms and the S in PLURIBUS for the original hub serif pattern; use the softer, less bounded Monticello steps as corroboration, not sole proof. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939-S Reverse of 1940
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the reverse S letterforms, especially the more pronounced upper serif in PLURIBUS; corroborate with the revised, more sharply bounded Monticello steps. Weak strike can make the steps appear soft. See the visual comparison diagram under Key Design Details. [3] [6]
Catalog references: NGC design variety.
1939-S/S Reverse of 1940 VP-001
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Magnify the S to the right of Monticello. Identify the secondary punch by its exact position relative to the primary loops and serifs in the NGC VP-001 / CONECA RPM-001 reference; do not infer a north/south direction from an unverified schematic. [2]
Catalog references: NGC VP-001; CONECA RPM-001.
1940-S
1940-S/S FS-501
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Inspect the S mintmark to the right of Monticello for a distinct underlying punch. Compare the position of the secondary loops and serifs with the FS-501 / RPM-001 plate; damage and die deterioration can imitate an extra edge. [2]
Catalog references: FS-501; CONECA RPM-001; NGC VP-001.
1941-D
1941-D/D FS-501
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Look for the secondary D punch displaced north of the dominant D. Compare the upper bow and vertical stem with the FS-501 / CONECA RPM-003 reference; this is a different die from VP-001. [2]
Catalog references: FS-501; CONECA RPM-003; old FS-024.3.
1941-D/D VP-001
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Look for the underlying D displaced south to southeast of the primary D. Compare the lower bow and stem with NGC VP-001 / CONECA RPM-001; do not confuse it with the northern FS-501 repunching. [2]
Catalog references: NGC VP-001; CONECA RPM-001.
1941-S
1941-S Small S
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
Compare the S punch itself, not the amount of metal around it: the Small S (MMS-001) is compact with bulbous curves, straight horizontal serifs, and tighter internal openings. Use an unworn reference for proportion comparison. [2]
Catalog references: NGC mintmark-style variety; MMS-001.
1941-S Large S FS-501
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
The Large S punch (MMS-002) is taller and more open, characterized by rounded/ball serifs and more elongated loops. Confirm its overall shape against a Small S example; the Large S is a punch-style variety, not an S/S repunching by itself. [2]
Catalog references: FS-501; old FS-024.5; MMS-002.
1941-S/S Large S FS-502
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
First establish the Large S punch style (MMS-002). Then inspect its loops and serifs for a second raised S impression matching the FS-502 / RPM-002 reference; Large S alone is not proof of repunching. [2]
Catalog references: FS-502; CONECA RPM-002; MMS-002.
Attribution note — proposed additions under review
The proposed 1939 Philadelphia DDO FS-101 and 1941 Philadelphia DDO FS-101 are not shown in the consulted NGC Jefferson circulation-strike VarietyPlus listing. Do not label either an NGC-listed Jefferson variety or assign the proposed old-number cross-references without a denomination-specific published record. The catalog does list 1939-D DDO Reverse of 1938 VP-001. These proposed additions remain on the research punch list rather than being presented as verified guide entries. [2]
Errors
No Separate Date-Specific Mint Errors on the Approved List
Do You Have One? What To Look For:
The NGC VarietyPlus list used for this guide identifies die varieties, repunched mintmarks and hub/design varieties for 1938-1941, but it does not list a separate recurring mint-error entry for these four years. CoinHunt therefore does not invent an error listing here. A one-off off-center strike, clip, strike-through, wrong planchet or other production error must be authenticated from the individual coin and should not be represented as a standard 1938-1941 variety. NGC likewise distinguishes a repeatable die variety from a mint error created during the production process. [4]
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Sources
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U.S. Mint, Nickel: background, specifications and artist credits. Supports the series design, Felix Schlag credit, specifications and standard composition.
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NGC VarietyPlus, Jefferson Five Cents (1938-Date). Primary list authority for every included 1938-1941 circulation-strike entry and its NGC/CONECA/Fivaz-Stanton cross-references.
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PCGS CoinFacts, 1939 Reverse of 1940 Jefferson Nickel. Supports the 1939 reverse-hub transition and the sharper Monticello step treatment.
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NGC, Variety vs. Mint Error. Supports the distinction between repeatable die varieties and production errors.
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PCGS CoinFacts, 1939 DDR FS-801. Corroborates the FS-801 attribution and Philadelphia issue specifications.
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Wexler, Transitional Design Varieties. Photographic comparison of the original and revised reverse hubs. See also the collector comparison of the PLURIBUS S; the latter is a supplementary observation, not an official grading criterion.
Editorial Notes
- The SVGs are original CoinHunt flat-line inspection aids, not die-faithful attribution plates or reproductions of NGC, PCGS or third-party photographs. Exact secondary-punch directions not confirmed in the cited catalog are deliberately not asserted.
- Full Steps is a strike/grading designation and is not treated as a die variety or mint error.
- The well-known 1938-D/S FS-511 belongs to the Buffalo nickel series, not the Jefferson nickel series, and is therefore intentionally excluded from this guide.
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