1940

Philadelphia struck 176,485,000 Jefferson nickels in 1940, the first truly massive production year of the series and reflecting growing commercial demand as the economy recovered from the Depression and began gearing up for potential wartime production. The coin is abundant in all grades and readily available in Mint State. Strike characteristics are generally strong, with the modified reverse producing improved Full Steps designation compared to 1938-1939 production.

The 1940 Philadelphia is among the easiest early Jefferson nickels to find in high grades. Type collectors often select 1940 examples as representatives of the early Jefferson design in its refined form. Gem-quality pieces with Full Steps command modest premiums but are readily available through specialist channels.

1940 was the year Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented third presidential term, the year the Selective Service Act established peacetime conscription, and the year Lend-Lease began providing military aid to Britain and other Allied nations. The Jefferson nickels struck that year circulated through an America that was formally neutral but increasingly committed to supporting the European democracies against Nazi Germany. Pearl Harbor and formal American entry into World War II were still more than a year away.