A List Of All 1990 nickels Worth more than face value

1990 Nickel Value Guide

I remember ringing in the start of the ’90s as a kid and looking for all the new 1990s coins, including 1990 nickels!

Hey, it was my first new decade, so I had reason to be excited about the new coins coming out. (That and the release of Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers 3 video game — but that’s a different story for another article.)

I still find 1990 nickels in circulation from time to time.

So… how much is an old 1990 nickel worth today?

Are 1990 Nickels Worth Money?

When it comes to any old coins worth money, it’s not so much about age but availability of and demand for a certain coin that gives it value.

The 1990 nickel really isn’t all that old yet — at least not as compared to coins from the 1800s or earlier 1900s.

Yet some of these old nickel values are off the charts. Some 1990 nickels are worth more than $1,000!

HUH?

Yep, you read that correctly… Some 1990 nickels are worth 4 figures.

But I’m going to set things straight right away here. I’m talking about a handful of really rare and valuable 1990 nickels that are worth what they’re worth due to their immaculate condition OR the presence of errors and varieties.

It’s true that 99.9% of all the 1990 Jefferson nickels you ever come across in pocket change will be worth only their face value of 5 cents — or not much more than that.

So, don’t get your hopes up. But do read on so you know exactly what to look for!

Imagine accidentally spending one of those super rare and valuable 1990 nickels and never even realizing you had it in your hands…

Mint Marks On 1990 Nickels

Let’s first look at the 3 basic kinds of 1990 nickels out there. They are:

• 1990-P nickel
• 1990-D nickel
• 1990-S nickel

What do those P, D, and S letters mean?

They’re mint letter stamps (or mintmarks) and they indicate which U.S. Mint facility struck each of the 3 different types of 1990 nickels:

• P – Symbolizes the Philadelphia Mint
• D – Means the Denver Mint
• S – Indicates the San Francisco Mint

Where do you find the mintmark on a 1990 nickel?

Look underneath the date! You’ll see the P, D, or S mintmark on the lower-right side of the head’s side (known to coin collectors as the obverse) of the nickel.

All 1990 Nickel Values Today

This section will give you a good idea of the specific 1990 nickels you should be looking for…

Most 1990-P nickels and 1990-D nickels really aren’t worth much at all today. They’re very common.

Combined, more than 1.3 billion were struck (661,636,000 at the Philadelphia Mint and 663,938,503 at the Denver Mint).

In fact, all worn specimens of the 1990-P nickel or 1990-D nickel that you find in spare change (if they don’t contain any obvious errors or varieties) are worth just 5 cents. You can feel safe spending those — you’re not missing out on anything valuable.

What about the 1990-S nickel?…

I’ll bet you’ve been looking, looking, and looking and can’t find any 1990-S nickels in your pocket, purse, coin jar, or piggy bank. How come? What makes those nickels so rare?

Well, the 1990-S nickel isn’t rare at all. It just wasn’t struck for use as money! Yes, it’s legal tender… But it wasn’t really made to be spent. Rather, it was specially struck for coin collectors and sold to the public by way of 1990 proof sets.

A 1990-S proof nickel is worth around $2 to $5 today.

You can tell a 1990-S proof nickel not just by its distinctive “S” mintmark — but also by its highly reflective, mirror-like surfaces. By the way, proof isn’t a condition or grade, but rather a highly precise method of manufacture that produces needle-sharp detail and superb surface quality.

Finally, we can’t forget about errors and varieties. There’s at least one kind of rare 1990 doubled die error that’s worth a lot of money, as I’ll share later in this article. Then there are errors like broadstrikes and off-center strikes. These coins are typically worth somewhere between $15 and $30.

So how do you find these rare and valuable 1990 nickels?

One way I look for them is through searching rolls of coins from the bank. My video provides a couple of roll searching tips:

What About Full Steps 1990 Nickel Values?

Ever hear of Full Steps nickels?

If you turn over your 1990 nickel to the tail’s side (or “reverse”), you’ll see Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home known as Monticello. Look toward the bottom-center of Monticello and what do you see? You should view a stairway leading up to the front door.

The original designer of the Jefferson nickel in 1938, Felix Schlag, intended little steps to be visible on the coin. But due to the hardness of the nickel’s metal composition and striking capabilities, it’s hard for the coin presses to ensure complete detail on the reverse of circulation-strike nickels.

That’s why finding a Jefferson nickel with 5 or 6 unbroken and clearly delineated steps on the reverse is extremely challenging — especially for certain dates!

Many people ask me what their Full Steps nickels are worth. And I unfortunately have to tell most of them that the coins they think are Full Steps nickels really aren’t. The most common thing you might say is wrong with these hoped-for Full Steps nickels is that they’re circulated specimens. And ALL Full Steps Jefferson nickels must be uncirculated — not show any wear from use as money.

Most 1990-P nickels and 1990-D nickels with Full Steps details are worth significantly more than ordinary uncirculated 1990 nickels lacking the Full Steps detail.

While a regular uncirculated 1990-P nickel or 1990-D nickel may be worth 20 to 30 cents, an example with Full Steps details can fetch $10 to $15 or more.

The Most Valuable 1990 Nickels

These are the most valuable 1990 nickels, by type:

• 1990-P nickel — The most valuable 1990-P nickel was graded Mint State-67 Full Steps by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $1,260 in a 2018 sale.
• 1990-D nickel — The most valuable 1990-D nickel took $1,093 when it traded in 2004. (It was graded Mint State-66+ Full Steps by Professional Coin Grading Service.)
• 1990-S nickel — The most valuable 1990-S proof nickel wasn’t a perfect strike but rather one with a huge imperfection. It’s a 1990-S doubled die nickel error variety, and it sold for $920 in a 2010 auction.

Here’s another video I made showing how you can tell legit error coins and varieties apart from coins that have been altered or damaged: