1964-D

Denver's 1964 Jefferson nickel mintage was 1,787,297,160 coins, the highest single-year Jefferson nickel production at any mint and the first nickel mintage to exceed 1.7 billion. Like the Philadelphia issue, the date was struck into 1965 and 1966 to prevent hoarding during the coin shortage. The coin is abundant in all grades and the most common Jefferson nickel ever produced.

Collectors building complete Jefferson nickel sets acquire the 1964-D trivially. The massive mintage ensures that the coin is available at minimal premiums in all grades, and high-grade specialists can find Gem Full Steps examples readily through normal channels at modest prices.

The 1964-D represents the peak of Jefferson nickel production and illustrates how extreme the mid-1960s coin shortage was. The Treasury was producing nickels at rates never before seen and never since matched, and even this enormous output was barely sufficient to meet the commercial demand driven by hoarding, expansion of coin-operated machines, and population growth. The shortage eventually forced the Treasury to eliminate silver from dimes and quarters beginning in 1965, though the nickel composition remained unchanged.