1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

The 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof is a special striking of the Jefferson Nickel that the United States Mint sold as part of the 1980 United States Proof Set.

The 1980 United States Proof Set is a six-coin collector set that features the 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof alongside the 1980-S Lincoln Cent Proof, the 1980-S Roosevelt Dime Proof, the 1980-S Washington Quarter Proof, the 1980-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof, and the 1980-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof.

The Mint sold 3,554,806 of these sets, each containing $1.91 in coins but was offered for $10 ($40.57 in 2024 inflation-adjusted money).

Proof coins of this period are easily distinguishable from business strikes. Business strikes in uncirculated condition typically exhibit die flow lines and have a lustrous finish and uniform appearance. On Proofs, the rims and reeds are sharper, the raised details are frosted, and the fields are polished to a deep mirror finish. As the San Francisco Mint did not strike nickels for circulation in 1980, all 1980-S Jefferson Nickels are Proof coins.

The typical 1980-S Jefferson Nickel will have deep cameo contrast on the coin’s devices. If unimpaired and carefully removed from its original government packaging, the typical grade the coin would earn if submitted for third-party certification is Proof 69. As the cost of certification is higher than the coin’s average sale price, a majority of–if not all–1980-S Jefferson Nickels in CAC, NGC, and PCGS holders have been submitted through a discount modern bulk program.

How Much Is a 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof Worth?

Despite originally selling for $10 ($40.57 in inflation-adjusted money), 1980 United States Proof Sets have lost more than 75% of their value when adjusted for inflation and now trade (December 2024) for about $9 to $10. As a single coin, the 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof routinely trades for about $1.50 raw and under $6 in Proof 69.

“Perfect” Proof 70 coins are readily available in NGC and PCGS holders, and may soon become available from CAC. Under low magnification, a Proof 70 coin should be perfect as struck with no post-strike damage. Some 70s can look better than others, as the grade in practice offers a very narrow definition of perfection. The 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof grades about the same as the 1980-S Roosevelt Dime Proof. The set’s hardest coin to grade Proof 70 is the Lincoln Cent.

The most common venue for selling raw and certified 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof is eBay. Coins in all grades are frequently offered there, so a collector doesn’t need to overpay for coins offered in high “Buy It Now” listings, as true auctions of coins in similar grades typically hammer between $30 and $40.

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1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Top Population: PCGS PR70DCAM (856, 12/2024), NGC PF70UCAM (235, 12/2024), and CAC PR69DCAM (0:2 stickered:graded, 12/2024).

• NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, December 2, 2024 – $61.10. 16 bids. Stock image.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, December 1, 2024 – $34. 10 bids. Stock image.
• PCGS PR70DCAM #38182623: eBay, November 12, 2024 – $52. Buy it Now.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, November 7, 2024 – $46. 14 bids. Stock image.
• PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, November 5, 2024 – $27.88. 7 bids. Stock image.
• NGC PF70UCAM #6787500-001: eBay, November 4, 2024 – $36. 9 bids.
• PCGS PR70DCAM #27622096: eBay, November 3, 2024 – $33. 6 bids. Stock image.

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Design

Obverse:

A left-facing bust of President Thomas Jefferson, including a colonial-era pigtail and strikingly similar in detail to the profile of Jean-Antoine Houdon’s 1789 bust, takes up most of the obverse. The top of his head almost touches the rim, and the barest of truncations is visible at the bottom where Jefferson’s left shoulder meets the edge of the coin. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST arcs clockwise along most of the length of the left side of the coin, starting from Jefferson’s chest and extending to his hairline. The word LIBERTY and the date 1980 run clockwise along the right side behind Jefferson. A small five-pointed star divides the two inscriptions. A small S mintmark appears at the bottom right of Jefferson’s portrait.

Reverse:

The reverse features a front view of Monticello, Jefferson’s mansion near Charlottesville, Virginia. The polymath Jefferson designed the neoclassical building himself, based on architectural principles from the Italian Renaissance; the name “Monticello” comes from the Italian for “mound” or “little mountain”. The building loses much of its dimensionality in the flattened rendering, but the octagonal shape of the dome can still be interpreted, and better strikes reveal significant detail in the steps and portico.

Atop the reverse is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM (“Out of Many, One”). The name MONTICELLO–the placement of which on the coin was one of the revisions forced upon designer Felix Schlag by the Mint–is found in a straight line immediately under the building; the positions and spacing of the other inscriptions had to be adjusted to make room for it. The denomination FIVE CENTS forms a gently curving line beneath that, and the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs counterclockwise along the bottom edge of the coin.

Interestingly, Schlag’s initials did not appear on a Jefferson Nickel until 1966.

Edge:

The edge of the 1980-S Jefferson Nickel Proof is plain or smooth, as it is on all Jefferson Nickels.

Designer

Felix Schlag was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1891. After receiving an education at the Munich University of Fine Arts, he moved to the United States in 1929. Schlag died in 1974. While he did win numerous art contests and commissions throughout much of the remainder of his life, the Jefferson Nickel was his only coin design.

Coin Specifications

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