100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins Series: 1994-P Jefferson Nickel, Matte "Special Uncirculated"

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal…” This line is perhaps one of the most well-known from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. While the historic document was authored by a number of men, one of the most famous and prolific figures was that of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States coinage, does it not?

With his face on the $2 bill and most notably the Jefferson nickel series, it only makes sense that he would end up on a coin somewhere in the top 100 Greatest Modern Coins as put together by authors Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett for Whitman Publishing’s fourth edition publication. With help from some of the most influential coin dealers from across the country, let us explore one of many Jefferson nickel varieties that ended up on the list and its unique emergence into the coin hobby.

#52 - 1994-P Jefferson Nickel, Matte “Special Uncirculated”

The year 1993 saw the 250th Anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth. The United States Mint honored him with a commemorative silver dollar that was available in both Proof and Uncirculated strikes. However, the commemorative silver dollar was also available in a special set created by the Mint called the Thomas Jefferson Coinage and Currency Set. If you are deeply involved in numismatics or watch The Coin Vault, you most likely know what these sets are. In this special set was an Uncirculated 1993-P Jefferson 250th-Anniversary silver dollar, an Uncirculated 1994-P Jefferson nickel, and a Series 1976 $2 Federal Reserve Note in which Jefferson also graced the face of. While the commemorative coin bears the 1993 year-date, it was chalked up to the late approval of the coin through legislation as it was actually authorized in 1994.

While both the coins in the set look nearly identical in design, the Jefferson nickel is what makes the whole set attractive to buyers and collectors. Why? The United States Mint chose to strike a special presentation 1994 nickel with a matte finish that was ONLY available in the set itself. The matte finish had never been used on the Jefferson nickel before or any nickel for that matter since 1916. Coins with the matte-finish have a dull surface texture and present no reflection whatsoever. This particular strike is accomplished by acid-treating or sandblasting the dies used to strike the coins so that the surface looks rough with a fine-grain. A lot of the time, matte-finish coins are struck multiple times with the dies to create more detail.

The Coinage and Currency Set ended up being a good seller for the Mint in large part due to the special strike of the 1994-P Jefferson nickel. Over 167,000 total sets were sold which accounted for more than half of the total Uncirculated Jefferson silver dollars in total. With 167,703 sets sold in total with the special matte-finish Jefferson nickel, it was the second-lowest mintage for any Jefferson nickel.

The first edition of Whitman’s Publication had this coin at #44. Since then, it has dropped eight spots to its current ranking (#52).