1969 Jefferson Five Cents 1965 to Date MS64

History

Mintmarks returned to United States coinage in 1968 after their omission from 1965 through 1967, and on the Jefferson five cent piece the letter was placed on the obverse below the date rather than on the reverse. The 1969-S falls in the early part of that arrangement, with San Francisco supplying both circulation strikes and proofs for the denomination. Felix Schlag's initials, FS, had been added below the bust in 1966, so they appear on this date.

Details

Felix Schlag designed both sides of the coin, which was struck in the standard 75% copper and 25% nickel alloy on a 21.2 mm planchet. San Francisco produced 120,165,000 circulation strikes for the date, identified by the S mintmark on the obverse just below the date. Proofs of the year were also a San Francisco product.

Features

The obverse carries Schlag's left-facing portrait of Jefferson with IN GOD WE TRUST along the left periphery and LIBERTY with the date at the right, the designer's FS initials below the truncation of the bust. Monticello occupies the center of the reverse, captioned MONTICELLO with FIVE CENTS spelled out in an arc beneath it. E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA run along the reverse periphery.

Notable facts

• Full Step examples are described as virtually non-existent for this date because of poor striking characteristics, which makes strike quality rather than mintage the driver of value.
• Mint State survivors are common but usually encountered in MS64 to MS65.
• PCGS considers MS66 semi-scarce and attributes that to a low number of submissions rather than to a small surviving population.
• A single MS67 is the finest business strike certified by PCGS.
• The 1969-S proof is fairly common in most grades and becomes scarce only at PR68 Deep Cameo, where it still trades at a modest premium.