Many folks ask me what their 1984 nickels are worth.
Most of the 1984 nickels that people show me are worth just face value of 5 cents.
But the good news is there are many 1984 Jefferson nickels that are worth much more than that!
In fact, there are some that are worth hundreds of dollars. And there’s at least one that sold for more than $3,700 — just because of its condition.
I’m going to show you exactly what to look for on your 1984 nickels so you can determine if you have any rare and valuable nickels that you should keep, or if the nickels you have are ones that you can safely spend.
1984 Nickel Facts
The 1984 Jefferson nickel isn’t a particularly rare coin, in the general sense. After all, more than 1.2 billion of them were struck.
Still, 1984 nickels are highly collectible. Mostly because people enjoy assembling sets of Jefferson nickels that represent every date and mintmark (the little mint letter stamp under the date) in the series.
The Jefferson nickel, which debuted in 1938, was originally designed by sculptor Felix Schlag. The nickel design remained pretty much unchanged throughout the decades after that into the early 21st century.
So, a 1984 nickel looks almost identical to a 1938 Jefferson nickel — except for the date and few minor design enhancements that were performed over the years.
Where is the mintmark on a 1984 nickel?
Take a look at the obverse, or heads side, of a 1984 nickel…
The mint letter stamp is located underneath the “4” in the date.
You should see one of these mintmarks on every 1984 nickel:
- P = Philadelphia Mint
- D = Denver Mint
- S = San Francisco Mint
If you’ve found your 1984 nickel in pocket change, it’s likely going to have either a “P” or a “D” mint mark.
The “S” mintmark from San Francisco was used only on proof nickels in 1984, and these coins weren’t officially distributed into circulation. (That said, some proof coins have been spent as money through the years.)
I’ll talk a bit more about the 1984 proof nickels below in this article.
What are 1984 proof nickels?
If you find any 1984 nickels with the “S” mintmark, that means you’ve got a proof nickel.
What’s a proof coin?
Proofs are high-quality coins made specifically for coin collectors.
They’re usually produced from highly polished blanks that are intentionally struck multiple times on high-tonnage presses. The goal with proof coins is to ensure that all of the tiny details are fully rendered on the coin itself.
The 1984-S proof nickels were packaged in special coin sets that were sold directly to coin collectors.
Many of these proof sets have been broken up over the years — leaving single 1984-S proof nickels for coin collectors to buy individually.
Are there any silver 1984 nickels?
Would you believe that a 1984 Jefferson nickel is not made from pure nickel?
In fact, a typical U.S. nickel is actually made from mostly copper — not nickel!
The composition of a 1984 Jefferson nickel is 75% copper and only 25% nickel.
And, while the United States Mint has made silver nickels in the past, they didn’t make any in 1984. Therefore, there are no 1984 silver nickels worth looking for.
Are 1984 nickels rare?
This is where it gets tricky…
Some 1984 nickels are rare and valuable, but most are quite common.
You’re probably wondering how “some” 1984 nickels could be rare and others, presumably, are not.
Here’s the thing: it comes down to whether or not the 1984 nickel is in nearly perfect condition or is among the various errors and varieties known for this coin.
By and large, the 1984 nickel is not categorically rare at all. There are certainly millions upon millions of them still circulating out there as money. Since there are still plenty of them around to satisfy the needs of collectors, they are not rare.
But the 1984 nickels that have no wear or that exhibit signs of some mint-made oddity… those are the ones that are rare as a class themselves. It’s those 1984 nickels that are worth more than face value.
Now, let’s discuss what your 1984 Jefferson nickels are worth…
All 1984 Nickel Values
The chances are pretty good that if you’ve found a 1984 nickel in your spare change, it’s probably very well worn — and possibly even damaged. These typical examples of 1984 nickels have no worth over face value. Therefore, they are totally safe to spend as money.
Here’s what uncirculated and proof examples of the 1984 nickel are worth, along with the most valuable 1984 nickels on record:
1984-P Nickel Value
- Uncirculated 1984-P Nickel Value: 30 to 50 cents
- Most Valuable 1984-P Nickel: $276 (Mint State-66 Full Steps)
1984-D Nickel Value
- Uncirculated 1984-D Nickel Value: 30 to 50 cents
- Most Valuable 1984-D Nickel: $1,440 (Mint State-67 Full Steps)
1984-S Nickel Value
- Proof 1984-S Nickel Value: $2 to $5
- Most Valuable 1984-S Nickel: $3,738 (Proof-70 Deep Cameo)
A List Of 1984 Error Nickels
Some of the most valuable 1984 error and variety nickels have sold for hundreds of dollars or more.
I can’t include all of the 1984 nickel error values here — there’s just not enough space.
But let’s highlight some of the most impressive ones:
- 1984-P Nickel Double Struck on Dime Planchet — $1,495 (Mint State-64)
- 1984-P Nickel Struck on Dime Planchet — $834 (Mint State-65)
- 1984-P Nickel Double Struck Off Center — $322 (Mint State-65)
READ NEXT: A List Of The Most Valuable U.S. Nickels You Should Hold Onto
Do you have a 1984 nickel? Think there may be something unique about it? Post a picture of your nickel in the comments below and I’ll try to help!
