Rare 2019 Nickel Errors Worth Money (Full List With Pictures)

A 2019 Jefferson nickel with a die chip on the Monticello building sold for $165 at auction, making it one of the pricier modern five-cent errors around. If you’re checking your pocket change against a complete 2019 nickel error list with pictures, most errors on these coins trade between $25 and $165 depending on type and condition.

Here are the documented 2019 nickel errors sorted from least to most valuable.

1. 2019 Nickel Strike-Through Error (Up to $25)

A strike-through happens when foreign debris — wire, cloth fibers, or metal shavings — lands on the planchet just before the dies close. The trapped object blocks the die from fully impressing the design, leaving a blank or weakened area that preserves the shape of whatever got caught in the press.

The most collected 2019 variety is the “Smoking Jefferson,” where a thin piece of debris created what looks like a cigarette extending from Jefferson’s mouth. That visual novelty earned this error its own nickname, and it consistently outsells generic strike-throughs of similar size.

Value: A circulated 2019 nickel with the “Smoking Jefferson” strike-through sold for $25 on eBay. More subtle strike-throughs without the cigarette illusion typically trade for $10 to $20.

The object’s identity and visual impact drive the premium — a clearly defined shape sells better than an anonymous blank spot. Uncirculated examples with dramatic impressions can push past $25, but most 2019 strike-throughs stay in the $10 to $25 range for this series.

How to Identify: Look for a blank or weakly struck area on the coin’s surface with sharp, clearly defined edges. The affected zone shows smooth, featureless metal where design elements should appear.

Under a 10x loupe, the boundary between struck and unstruck areas will be crisp — not gradual like wear. Check the surrounding design for full, normal detail running right up to the edge of the blank zone.

Strike-throughs affect one side only because the debris sits on one die face. Weight stays at 5.00g and diameter at 21.21mm since the planchet itself is unaffected.

The distinction from post-mint scratches: strike-throughs have rounded, pressed-in edges because metal was displaced during striking, while scratches show sharp torn metal with directional drag marks. Fastest confirmation: one-sided blank area with rounded edges and full detail everywhere else on the coin.

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2. 2019 Nickel Improper Alloy Mix Error (Up to $30)

An improper alloy mix error occurs when the copper-to-nickel ratio in the planchet deviates from the standard 75% copper and 25% nickel formula. If the copper content runs high, the finished coin takes on a brassy or yellowish tone instead of the typical silver-gray appearance.

These errors originate at the metal supplier level, before the blank even reaches the Mint. The color shift is permanent and uniform across the entire coin — not patchy like environmental toning, which develops unevenly over years of exposure to different conditions.

Value: A 2019 Jefferson nickel with an improper alloy mix, graded MS64, sold for $30 on eBay. Circulated examples with subtle toning differences are harder to sell because buyers struggle to distinguish alloy errors from environmental damage in listing photos.

Expect $10 to $20 for circulated coins with visible color shifts. Third-party grading from PCGS or NGC helps considerably because the holder confirms the error isn’t just tarnish or chemical exposure.

How to Identify: The primary diagnostic is color. A genuine alloy mix error appears uniformly brassy, golden, or yellowish across the entire surface, consistent on both obverse and reverse — not concentrated in spots or patches.

Weigh the coin on a digital scale. Standard Jefferson nickels weigh 5.00g, and an alloy deviation shouldn’t change that significantly.

A coin weighing substantially less might be struck on the wrong denomination’s planchet instead.

The critical distinction is from environmental toning or chemical damage. Toning develops unevenly, creating multi-colored patterns with areas of different intensity.

An alloy error shows one uniform off-color with normal mint luster and strike characteristics underneath.

Corrosion and cleaning leave surface disturbance visible under magnification. A genuine alloy error shows clean, undisturbed metal in the wrong shade.

Fastest confirmation: uniform off-color on both sides with no surface damage and standard 5.00g weight.

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3. 2019 Nickel Struck Through Grease Error (Up to $50)

Struck-through-grease errors happen when lubricant accumulates in the recessed areas of the die during high-speed production runs. The grease layer acts as a barrier between the die and the planchet, preventing the design from transferring onto the metal surface.

On 2019 nickels, this typically appears as a flattened or ghost-like Jefferson portrait — his forehead, nose, and mouth look smoothed away while surrounding areas strike normally. Unlike foreign-object strike-throughs, grease fills create broad zones of missing detail with soft, gradual edges rather than sharply defined blank spots.

Value: 2019 Jefferson nickels with struck-through-grease errors sell for $20 to $50 on eBay, depending on how much of the design is affected. Coins where Jefferson’s entire face appears ghost-like command the higher end of that range.

Minor grease fills obscuring small details bring closer to $20. These are among the more common modern nickel errors, so only dramatic examples with major design loss attract competitive bidding from error collectors.

How to Identify: Examine Jefferson’s portrait under good lighting for areas that appear abnormally smooth or flat. Grease-filled zones have a soft, washed-out look — design elements fade gradually rather than cutting off with a sharp border.

This gradual transition is the key separator from foreign-object strike-throughs, which have crisp boundaries. Tilt the coin at different angles and watch the affected areas.

They should appear consistently flat regardless of lighting direction, unlike worn spots on circulated coins that show high-point smoothing with visible flow lines. Check the reverse for similar weakening around Monticello, since grease errors can affect one or both sides.

Weight stays at 5.00g and diameter at 21.21mm. The unaffected portions should show full, sharp detail — that contrast between perfect and missing design confirms a minting error rather than general wear.

Fastest test: ghost-like design with soft edges surrounded by fully struck areas.

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4. 2019 Nickel Feeder Finger Error (Up to $50)

Feeder fingers are mechanical arms that position blank planchets into the collar before each strike. When a feeder finger is damaged, bent, or mistimed, it drags across the planchet surface just before the design is impressed, leaving parallel scratches embedded into the finished coin.

On 2019 nickels, this error primarily affects Philadelphia Mint production. The scratches appear as raised horizontal lines running across Jefferson’s portrait or the Monticello building, with uniform spacing that comes from a machined component rather than random handling after the coin leaves the press.

Value: A 2019-P nickel with feeder finger scratches sold for $50 in circulated condition on eBay. That price reflects dramatic, clearly visible striations running across major design elements like Jefferson’s face.

Less prominent examples with faint lines requiring magnification sell for $10 to $25. Visual severity is everything — bold lines visible to the naked eye bring the strongest bids, while subtle scratches in open field areas attract minimal buyer interest.

How to Identify: Look for a cluster of thin, raised, roughly parallel lines running across the coin’s surface. Under a 10x loupe, these lines should sit above the field and show the same mint luster as the surrounding metal.

That luster match is the critical separator from circulation scratches. Scratches are incuse — cut into the surface — and show torn edges under magnification, while feeder finger marks are raised.

The lines tend to appear in a localized band rather than scattered across the entire coin. On 2019-P nickels, feeder finger marks most commonly show up on the obverse across Jefferson’s portrait.

Weight stays at 5.00g and diameter at 21.21mm, with the edge remaining plain as standard for all Jefferson nickels. Fastest check: parallel raised lines with uniform spacing, matching luster, and no torn metal edges.

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5. 2019 Nickel Filled-In Eyes Error (Up to $80)

The filled-in eyes error creates an unsettling appearance on Jefferson’s portrait — his eyes appear solid and blank, earning these coins the nickname “zombie Jefferson” among collectors. The error results from die deterioration, where the shallow recessed areas forming Jefferson’s eyes gradually fill with displaced metal over thousands of high-pressure strikes.

As the die wears, metal flow and polishing debris accumulate in these fine-detail areas, with later strikes showing progressively worse filling. The result is a Jefferson who looks blind or featureless in the eye area while the rest of his portrait keeps normal depth and definition.

Value: A 2019 Jefferson nickel with completely filled-in eyes sold for $80 on eBay. Partial eye filling — where one eye is more affected than the other — typically brings $30 to $50.

The value scales directly with visual drama — both eyes completely obscured commands the full premium, while subtle filling requiring magnification drops to $10 to $20. Coins that look dramatic at thumbnail size in listing photos sell fastest.

How to Identify: Examine Jefferson’s eyes under 10x magnification. In a genuine filled-in error, the eye areas appear as smooth, raised bumps level with surrounding facial features, sharing the same luster and patina as the rest of the coin.

Compare the eyes to cheeks, nose, and forehead. True die deterioration fills both eyes similarly, though one eye slightly worse than the other is possible.

The distinction from post-mint tampering: filled-in eyes from die wear show smooth, consistent metal with no tool marks or adhesive residue. Someone filling eyes with solder or putty leaves visible edges and mismatched texture under magnification.

Weight stays at 5.00g and diameter at 21.21mm. The coin should show other signs of late-stage die wear — slightly mushy lettering or softened hair detail — consistent with a deteriorating die.

Fastest confirmation: smooth filled eyes with matching luster and additional die-wear indicators elsewhere on the coin.

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6. 2019 Nickel Lamination Error (Up to $100)

Lamination errors form when impurities or gas pockets get trapped within the planchet strip during the rolling process. These weak spots fail under striking pressure, causing the metal to crack, peel, or flake along internal planes within the alloy.

Jefferson nickels are a solid 75% copper and 25% nickel alloy — not a layered clad composition like dimes or quarters. When a nickel laminates, the separation occurs within the homogeneous metal itself, so the exposed area underneath looks the same color as the surface rather than revealing a contrasting copper core.

Value: A 2019 nickel with visible lamination peeling on the obverse sold for $50 on eBay. Dramatic examples with large sections actively peeling or completely missing can reach $75 to $100 in uncirculated grades.

Smaller flakes and hairline cracks typically bring $15 to $30. The size and visual drama of the separation determine the price — a coin with a large flap still partially attached draws more attention than one where the metal has cleanly fallen away.

How to Identify: Look for areas where the surface metal has cracked, peeled back, or flaked away entirely. Unlike clad coins, a laminated nickel won’t show a different-colored layer underneath because the alloy is uniform throughout.

Run your fingernail across the suspect area. A genuine lamination has a raised edge where the metal started separating from the layer below.

Under a 10x loupe, the crack line follows the metal’s internal grain structure. Gouged or sharp-edged separations with tool marks point to post-mint damage instead.

Weigh the coin — a nickel missing a significant flap may come in under 5.00g, but diameter stays at 21.21mm since the error affects internal structure only. Don’t confuse laminations with corrosion, which pits the surface with rough, irregular texture and discoloration.

Fastest confirmation: clean metal peeling in defined layers with no corrosion at the separation line.

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7. 2019 Nickel Broadstrike Error (Up to $100)

A broadstrike occurs when the collar die — the ring that constrains the planchet and forms the rim during striking — fails to engage. Without collar containment, the metal spreads outward under full die pressure, producing a nickel wider than its standard 21.21mm diameter with a weak or absent rim.

Broadstrike identification on nickels differs from dimes and quarters in one critical way: Jefferson nickels already have a plain edge by design, so there’s no missing reeding to spot. The only external clues are expanded diameter and a weakened rim — you need calipers rather than edge inspection alone.

Value: Centered 2019 broadstrike nickels with full design visible typically trade for $30 to $75 on eBay. Coins where the expansion is minor — just slightly wider than normal — bring $15 to $30.

Dramatic examples with significant diameter increase and completely absent rims can reach $100. A secondary error like an off-center strike alongside the broadstrike pushes the premium higher, but standalone broadstrikes on 2019 nickels usually plateau near that figure.

How to Identify: Calipers are essential. A standard Jefferson nickel measures 21.21mm, and any reading above 21.5mm suggests metal spread beyond the collar.

You cannot use edge reeding as a diagnostic because nickels already have a smooth, plain edge by design. Weight should remain close to 5.00g since no metal was added or removed, just redistributed outward.

The rim is the primary visual indicator — it will appear weak, flattened, or absent compared to the sharp raised rim on a normal nickel. Check rim uniformity all the way around the coin.

A genuine broadstrike produces an evenly weakened rim all the way around, while localized rim damage on one side only points to post-mint impact. Don’t confuse broadstrikes with coins pressed in a vise — artificial flattening creates uneven thickness visible under magnification.

Fastest confirmation: oversized diameter plus evenly weak rim at standard 5.00g weight.

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8. 2019 Nickel Die Chip Error (Up to $165)

A die chip forms when a fragment breaks away from the die’s striking surface during production. The resulting void fills with metal on every strike, producing raised blobs on each coin until the damaged die is retired from service.

The most recognized 2019 variety shows a prominent chip on the left side of the Monticello building on the reverse. Large die chips that extend all the way to the rim are called cuds — mechanically the same error but visually more dramatic because the raised mass covers a larger area and physically connects to the coin’s edge.

Value: A 2019 Jefferson nickel with a die chip on Monticello’s left side sold for $165 on eBay — the highest confirmed price for a standard 2019 nickel error. Smaller die chips on less prominent areas of the coin bring $20 to $50.

Large cuds extending to the rim can match or exceed $150 in uncirculated condition. The chip’s location and size determine everything — a visible blob on Monticello’s facade outperforms an identical chip sitting in an open field area.

How to Identify: Use a 10x loupe and examine both sides for raised blobs that don’t belong to the original design. Die chips appear as irregular lumps sitting above the coin’s surface, typically at the same height as the highest relief elements.

The most common location on 2019 nickels is the left side of Monticello on the reverse. Check whether the raised area extends to the rim — that upgrades a simple chip to a cud, which carries higher value.

The distinction from post-mint damage: die chips are raised, show matching mint luster, and appear in the same spot on every coin struck from that die. Hits and dings create depressions with disturbed surrounding metal.

Weight stays at 5.00g and diameter at 21.21mm, with the edge remaining plain. Fastest confirmation: raised blob with matching luster, no surrounding metal disturbance, in a known die-chip location for the 2019 series.

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Conclusion

The 2019 Jefferson nickel error range runs from $10 strike-throughs to the $165 Monticello die chip — a solid spread for a coin worth five cents at the register. Grease fills and feeder fingers sit in the $20 to $50 range, while filled-in eyes, laminations, and broadstrikes push toward $80 to $100.

A 10x loupe, digital calipers, and a gram scale cover the diagnostic basics for every error on this list.