1999 Nickel Coin Value: Errors List, “P”, “D” & “S” Mint Mark Worth

 

1999 Nickel Value By Variety

Here’s what each 1999 nickel variety is worth across different grades. If you already know your coin’s grade, jump to the Value Guides section for exact pricing.

Also Read: Top 100 Most Valuable Jefferson Nickels Worth Money List (1938-Present)

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1999 Nickel Worth Money

The coins topping this list all share one thing: they survived in near-perfect condition, and most carry the Full Steps (FS) designation from PCGS or NGC. That means Monticello’s staircase shows five or six completely unbroken step lines. Sharp steps on a nickel are tough to come by.

The king of the date is a 1999-P MS68 Full Steps from the Steve Strom Collection — one of the best Jefferson nickel registry sets ever put together. It brought $4,465 at Heritage Auctions in January 2016 and was the finest PCGS had certified at the time.

Drop down to MS67FS and you’re still looking at $1,080 for a Philly coin. Denver’s MS67FS trails at $588. For standard (non-FS) Denver strikes, PCGS price data from February 2022 puts an MS68 at roughly $995. Even a 1999-P MS64FS can pull $345, and proof collectors aren’t left out — a flawless 1999-S PR70 brought $604. That’s the top grade possible for a proof coin.

 

History of the 1999 Nickel

The Jefferson nickel launched in 1938 after the Buffalo nickel hit its mandatory 25-year retirement. Felix Schlag won an open design competition, beating 389 other entries and pocketing a $1,000 prize. Treasury officials made him rework the reverse before final approval in July 1938.

By 1999, Schlag’s design had been running for 61 straight years. One fun detail: his initials “FS” didn’t appear on the coin until 1966 — 28 years after the first one was struck. That’s a long wait for credit.

This date sits right at the end of an era. Five years later, the Westward Journey Nickel Series (2004) shook up the denomination with Lewis and Clark commemorative designs. When the regular Jefferson portrait came back in 2006, it wasn’t Schlag’s classic left-facing profile. Artist Jamie Franki designed a new three-quarter-facing portrait, sculpted by Donna Weaver, replacing the look that had defined the coin for 68 years.

That makes 1999 and earlier issues the last of the original Schlag design. Collectors who love that classic profile target these dates specifically. If you want to go deep on varieties and strike quality, Bernard Nagengast’s “The Jefferson Nickel Analyst” is the go-to reference for the series.

Also Read: Top 60+ Most Valuable Buffalo Nickels Worth Money

 

Is Your 1999 Nickel Rare?

Check your 1999 nickel’s rarity level instantly with the Coin Identifier and Value App through a quick photo scan.

 

Key Features That Affect 1999 Nickel Value

This is Schlag’s design in its 61st year — one of the last Jefferson nickels minted in the 20th century. Knowing what to look for on both sides is how you separate a five-cent coin from a five-figure one.

The Obverse of the 1999 Nickel

Jefferson’s left-facing profile fills the obverse, based on the Houdon bust sculpted from life in the 1780s. His hair shows the late 18th-century queue tied with a ribbon at the back.

“IN GOD WE TRUST” curves along the left edge starting near Jefferson’s shoulder. “LIBERTY” sits on the right side above “1999,” both following the rim’s curve.

Look for the mint mark right next to Jefferson’s hair ribbon, just below the date. That small letter tells you everything: Philadelphia (P), Denver (D), or San Francisco (S).

The Reverse of the 1999 Nickel

Flip it over and you’ll see Monticello — Jefferson’s Virginia estate and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — shown straight-on to highlight the neoclassical dome and columned portico.

“E PLURIBUS UNUM” spans the top. Below the building sits “MONTICELLO,” then “FIVE CENTS,” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” along the lower rim.

Now look at the staircase at Monticello’s base. This is the money zone. Coins with five or six complete, unbroken step lines earn the Full Steps designation from PCGS and NGC — and that’s where the real premiums kick in.

Other Features of the 1999 Nickel

Each 1999 nickel weighs exactly 5 grams, measures 21.20 millimeters across, and is 1.95 millimeters thick. The composition is 75% copper and 25% nickel — no silver here. Silver alloy production ended after 1945’s War Nickels.

The edge is plain and smooth. No reeding, no lettering. That’s actually one quick way to tell a nickel from a quarter. If you spot a 1999 nickel with an unusual edge, take a closer look — it could be a broadstrike error (more on that below).

Also Read: Top 100 Rarest Nickels Worth Money (Most Expensive)

 

1999 Nickel Mintage & Survival Data

Philadelphia cranked out over 1.212 billion nickels in 1999. Denver added another 1.067 billion. Combined, that’s over 2.2 billion circulation strikes — picture roughly seven coins for every person in the U.S. that year. No wonder circulated examples are everywhere.

Tracking how many survived from those billions is basically impossible. Too many coins, too many decades of pocket wear and piggy banks.

San Francisco is a different story. They struck just 3,347,966 Deep Cameo proof nickels for collector proof sets. About 72.17% survive — roughly 2.4 million pieces still in collections. That high survival rate makes sense: these coins went straight from the Mint into protective cases and stayed there.

Also Read: Jefferson Nickel Value (1938-Present)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1999 Nickel Value

Start with the mint mark below the date. That single letter — P, D, or S — sets the baseline for what your coin could be worth.

Next, assess condition. Mint state coins with no wear on Jefferson’s cheekbone or hair details carry premiums. Even a tiny bit of wear visible under a loupe drops a coin from mint state to circulated — and that usually means face value.

Grab a 5x or 10x loupe and check Monticello’s staircase. You’re counting step lines. Five or six complete, sharply defined lines with no breaks or bridging? That’s a potential Full Steps coin, and those are worth real money.

Surface quality counts too. Scratches, cleaning marks, discoloration, or heavy bag marks all hurt. And never clean a coin you think might be valuable — cleaned coins get flagged immediately under magnification and can lose 50–90% of their potential value. PCGS and NGC both note cleaning on their holders.

The Coin Identifier and Value App handles all of this through photo recognition — snap a picture and get a grade estimate plus current market value.

 

1999 Nickel Value Guides

Three varieties exist for 1999. Philadelphia and Denver struck billions for circulation, while San Francisco made proofs exclusively for collectors.

• 1999-P Nickel
• 1999-D Nickel
• 1999-S DCAM Nickel

Each one has its own value profile. Here’s what to look for in yours.

 

1999-P Nickel Value

Over 1.212 billion struck, and you can still pull these from pocket change. But try finding one in MS67 or better. PCGS calls anything above MS65 scarce, and MS67 examples are extremely difficult to locate.

The real money is in Full Steps. That designation requires five or six complete, unbroken step lines at Monticello’s base — zero interruptions. One tiny bridge between steps from die wear, grease, or a planchet flaw? Disqualified.

The auction champ is an MS68 Full Steps from the Steve Strom Collection: $4,465 at Heritage Auctions in January 2016. It was the finest PCGS had certified at the time, with a razor-sharp strike and surfaces showing a hint of champagne toning. An MS67FS can still reach $1,080, and even an MS64FS has sold for $345. I think those Full Steps premiums are some of the most dramatic in the modern series — same date, same mint, wildly different prices based purely on strike quality.

The chart below highlights auction prices achieved by 1999-P nickels in various grades.

Market engagement for 1999-P nickels is documented in the activity chart.

Market activity score: 40/100 as of Oct 2026 — down 3 points from Jul 2026. 12-month peak: 50 (Sep 2026).

 

1999-D Nickel Value

Here’s a question worth asking: if Denver struck over a billion nickels in 1999, why does an MS68 command nearly $1,000? Because almost none of them survived that clean. PCGS notes that MS66 gets tough to find, and MS67 is “almost impossible to locate.” A billion coins, and you can barely find a nice one. That’s condition rarity in action.

The approximately 1.067 billion mintage makes circulated pieces completely abundant. You’ll find them in rolls, bulk lots, and spare change jars without trying. But a standard 1999-D MS68 is valued at approximately $995 per PCGS price data from February 2022.

Full Steps adds another hurdle. Getting complete step definition on Denver strikes required precise die alignment and optimal striking pressure — everything had to go right. An MS67 Full Steps specimen brought $588 at Heritage Auctions in January 2016. For a coin from a billion-plus mintage, that’s a serious premium driven entirely by how well one particular coin was struck and preserved.

Trading patterns for 1999-D nickels reveal ongoing collector engagement.

Market activity score: 43/100 as of Oct 2026 — unchanged since Jul 2026. 12-month peak: 46 (Aug 2026).

 

1999-S DCAM Nickel Value

Don’t bother searching your pocket change for these — San Francisco proof nickels never entered circulation. Each planchet was polished before striking, and the dies got special treatment too. The result is that gorgeous frosted-device-on-mirror-field look that proof collectors love.

“DCAM” stands for Deep Cameo, the highest contrast level PCGS and NGC award. Here’s the thing: almost every 1999-S proof nickel qualifies for DCAM because San Francisco’s quality control in this era was that good. It’s the standard, not the exception.

PR69 Deep Cameo is the most common grade you’ll encounter. Perfect PR70 specimens exist in decent numbers too. A PR70 Deep Cameo brought $604 at auction in December 2003. We think this is one of the more affordable entry points for collectors building complete Jefferson proof sets — prices stay reasonable compared to many other dates in the series.

Historical auction results for this variety appear in the chart below.

The following chart illustrates transaction frequency for this proof variety.

Market activity score: 53/100 as of Oct 2026 — up 16 points from Jul 2026. Currently at its 12-month peak.

Also Read: 22 Rare Nickel Errors List with Pictures (By Year)

 

Rare 1999 Nickel Error List

Error coins from 1999 slipped past Mint quality control more often than you might think. Some are worth a few bucks. Others run into the thousands. Here’s what to look for.

One important note: the U.S. Mint tightened production methods significantly in 2002. That means pre-2002 errors — including all 1999 nickels — escaped at higher rates than later issues. More errors made it out, so more are available to cherrypick today.

1. Off-Center Errors

Off-center strikes happen when the planchet sits wrong in the press. You get partial design transfer and a crescent of blank metal on one side. The bigger the misalignment, the more it’s worth.

Minor shifts of 10 to 15 percent typically sell for $10–$50. Push that to 40 to 60 percent off-center and you’re looking at several hundred dollars — but only if the date is still visible. A dramatically off-center coin missing the date is worth far less than one where you can still read “1999.”

Documented examples include 1999 nickels graded MS63 with 65 percent displacement. If you’re hunting through rolls, these are hard to miss — the blank crescent is obvious even without magnification.

2. Broadstrike Errors

Ever wonder what happens when the retaining collar — the steel ring that shapes the coin’s edge — doesn’t engage? The planchet spreads wider than normal. No rim forms. The coin comes out flat-edged and slightly oversized.

Broadstruck 1999-P nickels show up fairly regularly in the error market. Most sell under $200 even in higher grades. But a broadstrike that also carries the Full Steps designation? That gets error collectors and strike quality collectors bidding against each other.

To spot one, compare the edge to a normal nickel. A broadstruck coin looks flatter along the edge and measures noticeably larger than the standard 21.20mm diameter. Peripheral design elements may show slight distortion where the metal flowed freely.

3. Clipped Planchet Errors

These happen before the coin is even struck. During blanking, the punch overlaps a previously cut hole or catches the strip’s edge. The result is a planchet with a crescent-shaped or straight bite missing.

That missing chunk carries through to the finished coin — you’ll see a curved or straight void along the rim where the design just stops. Here’s your authentication trick: check for the “Blakesley Effect,” a weakness in the design directly opposite the clip. Genuine clips always show it. Post-mint damage doesn’t.

A 1999 nickel with a curved clip in Mint State generally sells in the $30–$75 range. Bigger clips bring bigger premiums. Get any clipped planchet authenticated by PCGS or NGC before buying or selling.

4. Misaligned Die Errors

This one’s different from an off-center strike. With misaligned dies, the planchet sits correctly but the die itself shifted or tilted. Design elements transfer at wrong positions, and the shift looks uniform across the whole coin. That consistency is how you tell it apart from post-mint damage.

Most misaligned die errors on 1999 nickels carry minimal premium unless the displacement exceeds ten percent. Subtle shifts within normal manufacturing tolerances aren’t collectible errors — they’re just normal production variation.

Look for clearly visible, uniform design shifts. If it’s borderline, it’s probably not worth chasing.

5. Wrong Planchet Errors

This is the big one. A 1999-P nickel struck on a 1999-P dime planchet sold for $5,463 at Heritage Auctions in 2008. That’s the most valuable 1999 nickel error documented.

Wrong planchet errors happen when blanks from one denomination accidentally feed into presses set up for another. Multiple safeguards have to fail simultaneously. The dime-planchet nickel shows the full Jefferson design compressed onto a smaller, lighter blank — it weighs approximately 2.27 grams instead of 5 grams, and the clad composition gives it away immediately.

If you suspect a wrong planchet, weigh it on a digital scale accurate to at least 0.01 grams. A genuine example matches the weight of the wrong planchet, not a normal nickel. Authentication through PCGS or NGC is essential given the values involved and the existence of convincing fakes.

6. Repunched Mint Mark (RPM) Errors

RPM errors come from the old days when mint workers hand-punched the mint mark letter into working dies. Multiple impressions that didn’t line up perfectly created overlapping or doubled mint marks — a fainter secondary letter offset from the primary.

Here’s the catch: the Mint stopped hand-punching mint marks in 1989. So technically, no RPMs should exist on 1999 nickels. Some collectors have reported RPM-like doubling on certain 1999 examples, but you need to examine the mint mark under 5x to 10x magnification and compare against reference images before calling it.

When genuine, Jefferson nickel RPMs trade between $5 and $30 in circulated grades. Check the CONECA Master Listings to verify whether a specific 1999 RPM has been documented.

7. Double Strike Errors

A double strike means the coin got hit twice by the dies instead of being ejected after the first strike. If the second strike lands off-center or rotated, you get one of the most dramatic-looking errors out there.

A 1999-P double strike in collar has been graded MS-66 Full Steps by PCGS. In-collar double strikes are less visually dramatic than offset second strikes, but they’re still genuine production errors that attract specialists.

Value depends entirely on visibility. Minor in-collar double strikes might add $50–$200. A dramatic second strike at 50% or more off-center on a high-grade 1999 nickel could bring $500 or more to the right buyer.

 

Where to Sell Your 1999 Nickel?

Your 1999 nickels have been evaluated, but where should you sell them for optimal returns? I’ve compiled a detailed guide to trusted online selling platforms, including comprehensive introductions, key advantages, and potential drawbacks to help you choose the right marketplace.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

 

1999 Nickel Market Trend

Market interest: 3,120 collectors tracking this coin as of Oct 2026 — up 1,000 from Mar 2026. Currently at its 12-month peak.

*Market Trend Chart showing the number of people paying attention to this coin.

 

FAQ About the 1999 Nickel

1. How much is a 1999 Nickel Value in today’s market?

Most circulated examples are worth face value — five cents. Billions were made. Standard mint state coins run about $5.20 to $7.50 depending on mint mark.

Full Steps specimens jump to $12.33–$15.50 in MS grades. The auction record is $4,465 for a 1999-P MS68 Full Steps at Heritage Auctions. The rarest error — a 1999-P struck on a dime planchet — brought $5,463 in 2008.

2. What makes a 1999 Nickel Value increase beyond face value?

Not mintage — over 2.2 billion were struck. Premium value comes from specific quality thresholds.

Coins grading MS67 or higher are genuinely scarce because most picked up bag marks or wear in circulation. Full Steps is the other big driver. Getting clean, unbroken step lines required perfect die alignment and striking pressure — most 1999 nickels just didn’t get that kind of strike.

3. How do I check if my 1999 Nickel is a Full Steps example?

Grab a 5x to 10x loupe and look at Monticello’s staircase. Count the horizontal lines at the base of the building. You need five or six clearly defined lines running unbroken from left to right.

One broken, bridged, or merged line disqualifies it. PCGS and NGC are strict on this, so professional grading confirmation matters if you think you’ve got one.

4. Is there any such thing as a 1999 silver nickel?

No. Silver nickels ended in 1945 with the wartime 35% silver alloy. Every 1999 nickel — P, D, and S — is 75% copper and 25% nickel.

If someone offers you a “1999 silver nickel,” it’s either fake, plated, or altered after leaving the Mint. The only silver Jefferson nickels are the 1942–1945 War Nickels, which have a large mint mark above Monticello on the reverse.

5. What is the composition and weight of a 1999 nickel?

Every 1999 nickel weighs exactly 5.00 grams: 75% copper, 25% nickel. Diameter is 21.20 millimeters, thickness is approximately 1.95 millimeters, with a plain edge.

These specs matter for error detection. Any 1999 nickel weighing significantly more or less than 5.00 grams could be a wrong planchet error — weigh it on a scale accurate to 0.01 grams and get it authenticated.

6. What is a DCAM proof designation and how is it different from a regular 1999 nickel?

DCAM stands for Deep Cameo — the strongest contrast level between frosted raised design elements and mirror-like flat fields. San Francisco creates this intentionally by polishing planchets and dies before striking.

The 1999-S DCAM was never meant for circulation. It was sold in annual proof sets to collectors. Nearly all 1999-S proofs earn the DCAM designation because San Francisco’s quality was consistently excellent in this era.

7. What is a broadstrike error on a 1999 nickel and what is it worth?

The retaining collar — the steel ring that shapes the coin’s edge — fails to engage. Metal spreads outward, making the coin slightly larger than 21.20mm with no raised rim and a flat edge.

Most 1999-P broadstruck nickels sell under $200 at auction. A broadstrike that also carries Full Steps is more desirable since it appeals to both error collectors and strike quality specialists.

8. How does the 1999-P auction record compare to the rest of the Jefferson nickel series?

The $4,465 record is strong for a modern coin, but it’s well below the series leaders. A 1954-S MS67 FS holds the top spot at $35,250 from Legend Rare Coin Auctions. The 1938-D and 1969-D have each hit $33,600 in comparable grades.

What’s impressive is that the 1999-P came from a mintage over one billion. Condition rarity drove that price — not date rarity.

9. Should I get my 1999 nickel professionally graded by PCGS or NGC?

Grading runs $100–$150 or more per coin once you add membership, handling, and shipping. Only worth it if your coin looks MS65 or higher, appears to have Full Steps, or is a confirmed error.

For common circulated examples, the grading fee would dwarf any added value. Use the Coin Identifier and Value App to screen your coin first before spending money on slabbing.

10. What reference books or resources should I use to learn more about 1999 nickel varieties?

Bernard Nagengast’s “The Jefferson Nickel Analyst” covers die varieties, strike quality, and population rarity across the full series. For RPM and DDO research, the CONECA Master Listings database is the best free online resource.

PCGS CoinFacts (pcgs.com/coinfacts) and NGC Coin Explorer (ngccoin.com) both offer free auction records, population data, and price guides for the 1999-P FS (PCGS #84144), 1999-D FS (PCGS #84145), and 1999-S DCAM (PCGS #94235). Cross-reference at least two sources before buying or selling any premium 1999 nickel.