The United States Mint has announced it is striking W-mintmark Jefferson nickels made at the West Point Mint and will be offering these pieces for free in certain coin sets to be released throughout the year. This promotion, following up on the tremendous success of the 2019-W Lincoln cents (pictured above) added as free bonuses in various United States Mint coin sets, is another chapter in a popular campaign that began in 1996 with the issuance of W-mintmark Roosevelt dimes in that year’s uncirculated sets.
The special 2020-W Jefferson nickels will be included at no extra charge in the following combination of finishes and products: 2020-W uncirculated Jefferson nickel in 2020 uncirculated sets; 2020-W proof Jefferson nickel in 2020 proof sets; and 2020-W reverse proof Jefferson nickel in 2020 silver proof sets. There is no limit on how many 2020-W Jefferson nickels will be struck by the United States Mint, and it’s all but certain that these special five-cent coins will help bring new life to a coin series that many regard as a “sleeper.”
Jefferson nickels, minted since 1938 and having seen relatively few changes until 2004, are popular coins but lack much of the pizzazz as seen in other series with rare key dates, low-mintage issues, and other exciting attributes. While the Westward Journey nickels of 2004-2005 honoring the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition helped shed some momentary spotlight on the aging series, that buzz soon faded. Now, with the addition of the 2020-W nickels, we may again see some collector fervor for this iconic five-cent series.
