1947 Nickel Error List with Pictures

Two thin pieces can belong to one 1947 nickel, while a copper-colored example may have started as a cent blank. That is the unstruck metal disc fed into a coin press.

A 1947-S nickel struck on a cent blank sold for $564 in September 2019. This guide to 1947 Jefferson Nickel errors covers estimated values of $5–$1,500, from small surface faults to wrong-metal coins.

Read on to see which features deserve a closer look.

1. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Repunched D or S Mintmark

A little extra curve beside the D or S can be part of a second mintmark. In 1947, workers punched these letters into the steel tools that stamped coins, called dies.

Repeating that punch slightly out of position left overlapping letter shapes. Collectors call this a repunched mintmark.

Denver examples include an extra D below or above the main letter. Several San Francisco varieties show an extra S toward the left, while another has it above.

These marks sit beside Monticello, not above its dome.

Estimated Value

For identified examples, allow about $10–$50 with wear and $50–$150 for a clear, attractive unworn coin. These are estimates for the coin as a whole, rather than recorded sales for each numbered mintmark.

The extra letter needs to be visible enough for another collector to recognize. A bold second curve can be easier to sell than a faint mark on a badly scratched coin, even when both are genuine.

How to Identify

Find the small letter to the right of Monticello before examining any extra strokes. A Philadelphia coin has no mintmark, so a mark elsewhere on its back is a different feature.

Under a 10× magnifier, compare the second outline with the same variety in Wexler’s mintmark listings. Denver WRPM-001 has an extra D below, while WRPM-002 has it above; several San Francisco varieties share a leftward S.

Check a loose coin with a scale and calipers against 5 grams and 21.2 mm, including its plain edge. Identify the extra letter’s individual curves, since direction alone cannot separate every D/D or S/S pattern.

 

2. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Peeling Metal

A thin flap or ragged missing patch on the front can come from weak metal inside the coin. This is called lamination, and a 1947 Philadelphia example was graded MS62, meaning unworn with noticeable marks.

The metal can separate along that weak area before or after the design is stamped. It does not need to peel across the whole face.

Nickels of this year contain a copper-nickel mixture throughout. They do not have a plated outer skin that normally peels away from a different core.

Estimated Value

Small, plain-looking examples fit an estimated $5–$50; larger, clear peeling areas may bring $50–$250. An attached flap can be more interesting than a shallow, worn patch.

The recorded MS62 nickel appeared in a four-coin auction lot. Its individual sale price cannot be separated from that group, so the range is an estimate rather than that coin’s result.

Scratches, cleaning, and damage to a fragile flap can reduce the price.

How to Identify

Do not lift the flap to see underneath. Start with a side light and a 10× magnifier, looking for a thin layer that follows the surface.

Compare the lettering beside the patch with the damaged area itself. A cut usually pushes metal into a sharp ridge, while natural peeling can leave a rough, shallow floor.

Weigh the coin on a scale before judging how much metal is missing. Its normal weight is 5 grams; a substantial loss can lower that figure.

Calipers should show a diameter near 21.2 mm, and the edge should be plain.

An attached, thin flap with a natural separation beneath it is more useful evidence than a bare scratch.

 

3. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Clipped Blank

A small piece can be missing from the edge even though the rest of the nickel was struck normally. A 1947 Philadelphia example was described as having a 3% clip and graded VF35, showing circulation wear.

The missing metal began with an incomplete blank, before the coin received its design. Such gaps can be curved or straight, depending on how the metal was cut.

The specific shape of that 3% example is not established here. Its small percentage should not be confused with the much larger gaps on some other nickels.

Estimated Value

A modest worn clip can fall around $20–$75, while a larger, attractive example may reach an estimated $75–$300. Size alone does not decide the price; an intact date also helps.

For comparison, a 1997-P nickel with a much larger 20% clip sold for $124 in March 2025. That later coin gives a general price comparison, not a sale value for the recorded 1947 piece or its smaller missing section.

How to Identify

Check whether metal is actually absent before calling a dent a clip. The missing section should interrupt the outside outline, rather than simply flatten the raised rim.

Use calipers across the intact part of the coin; the normal diameter is 21.2 mm. A scale can show a loss from 5 grams, but a small clip may remove very little weight.

Now inspect both ends of the gap with a 10× magnifier. Look for a smooth transition into the struck design, not fresh saw lines or a sharp filed surface.

Follow the plain edge around the remaining circumference. A weak rim opposite the gap can support the identification, but the gap’s own uncut-looking boundary matters more.

 

4. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Blocked or Faint Design

A letter or patch of hair can look unusually faint while the nearby design remains clear. Material caught between the stamping tool and the blank can stop that small area from forming properly.

This is often called a struck-through error. Soft grease mixed with debris may fill a recess, leaving the corresponding raised detail weak or missing.

Weak features are reported for 1947 nickels, but faint Monticello steps alone do not establish this mistake. Ordinary wear, a weak strike, and a worn stamping tool can produce similar results.

Estimated Value

Use about $5–$40 for a minor, clearly identified blocked detail and $40–$300 for a larger, strikingly blank area. These are estimates for genuine examples, not prices assigned to every weakly struck nickel.

A mostly missing word beside sharp lettering is usually easier to appreciate than slightly soft steps. The upper range assumes a distinct Mint-made feature, a readable date, and a coin without heavy cleaning or later surface damage.

How to Identify

Put a normal 1947 nickel beside the suspected error. If both have similarly soft steps and hair, that comparison gives little reason to claim an extra premium.

Instead, examine the transition between a weak patch and nearby sharp features with a 10× magnifier. Abraded areas often have scratches crossing them; wear also flattens other high points.

A loose coin should remain close to 5 grams on a scale and 21.2 mm across with calipers. Check its plain edge for signs that the coin was squeezed or ground down.

An isolated missing detail surrounded by well-formed, undamaged design offers a much better starting point than uniformly faint lettering across the coin.

 

5. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Broadstrike

A broadstruck nickel spreads beyond its usual size but keeps the whole design. The metal has room to flow outward because the surrounding restraining ring, called the collar, is not holding it normally.

The result can have a wide outer border and a flatter shape. It differs from an off-center strike, where part of the design runs off the blank.

Broadstrikes are reported for 1947, without a specific measured diameter here. A large-looking rim by itself is not enough to separate this mistake from damage after the coin left the Mint.

Estimated Value

An estimated $30–$100 covers modest examples, rising to $100–$350 for a clear, attractive broadstrike. Wear and the amount of outward spread help place a coin within that range.

A 1999-P broadstruck nickel sold for $89 in March 2025. That is a different year used for comparison, not a recorded 1947 sale.

A complete date and lettering matter more than simply finding the widest-looking coin in a group.

How to Identify

Measure the widest and narrowest points with calipers, comparing them with the normal 21.2 mm diameter. A scale should remain near 5 grams because the metal has spread outward rather than been removed.

Follow every outside letter on both faces to check that the design is complete, even where the border is uneven. A 10× magnifier helps reveal stretching beside the letters and any later scratches on the plain edge.

Grinding leaves marks and removes metal, while hammering can flatten the portrait as well as the rim. Look for a naturally spread design whose raised features remain intact, rather than a large coin with crushed details.

 

6. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Doubled or Repeated Lettering

Some 1947 letters have two, three, or even four closely spaced outlines. These shapes were copied from a faulty stamping tool, rather than created by striking that coin several times.

One Philadelphia variety has strong repeated outlines below UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and FIVE CENTS. Denver examples include doubled words on the back, while San Francisco coins have several front and back patterns.

Repeated IN GOD WE TRUST can also come from a shared master tool used to make other tools. That common feature alone does not identify every more valuable variety.

Estimated Value

For modest identified varieties, estimate $10–$75; stronger, attractive examples may fall around $75–$400. The shared master-tool pattern alone should not automatically receive the price of a stronger individual variety.

As a different-year comparison, a 1963 nickel with strongly repeated back lettering brought about $277 in October 2014. That was an ordinary coin, not a special collector Proof.

The 1947 range depends on the exact pattern, visibility, wear, and surface condition.

How to Identify

Separate the coins by mint first: no letter for Philadelphia, D for Denver, and S for San Francisco. There were no 1947 Proof nickels, the specially made collector version.

For a Philadelphia candidate, a 10× magnifier can reveal repeated edges below FIVE CENTS. On San Francisco WDDO-002, check the date, star, and LIBERTY, rather than relying only on the motto.

Compare several letters with the matching photographs in Brian’s 1947 listings. Flat shelves and smeared edges are not the same as distinct repeated outlines.

A scale and calipers provide the ordinary checks: about 5 grams, 21.2 mm, and a plain edge. Identify the full letter pattern, including its direction, before assigning a catalog number.

 

7. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Split Coin with Matching Halves

Two thin pieces can preserve the front and back of one nickel. The 1947-S example split after striking, and both halves were kept together in one grading holder.

A separate Philadelphia pair was graded XF40, a worn condition. Its listing does not establish whether the separation happened before or after striking.

The split follows a weakness within the metal, not a normal boundary between different alloys. Keeping the matching halves together shows how they relate and helps distinguish a real separation from a coin deliberately sawn through.

Estimated Value

The 1947-S pair sold for $149.50 in August 2010. That price was for both matching pieces together, rather than for each half.

Use an estimated $100–$250 for worn or less dramatic pairs and $250–$500 for especially clear, attractive examples. The separate Philadelphia pair receives a comparison-based estimate, not the San Francisco coin’s sale result.

Missing pieces, damage to the inner surfaces, and uncertain matching can reduce a pair’s appeal.

How to Identify

Keep the pieces together and avoid scraping their inner surfaces.

Examine the separation with a 10× magnifier, looking for a natural, uneven texture rather than parallel saw marks. Compare the two outside faces and the outline of each half.

Weigh both pieces together on a scale, allowing for any lost fragments against the normal 5 grams. Calipers should show a shared outline near 21.2 mm, with portions of the original plain edge.

The San Francisco coin already had its design when it separated. The Philadelphia pair needs its own examination to determine timing.

Matching outlines and complementary inner surfaces help establish that the two pieces belonged to the same coin.

 

8. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Raised Cracks and Rim Blobs

A raised line can cross the design where the stamping tool developed a crack. Coin metal entered that narrow opening during striking, leaving a ridge on the finished nickel.

If a piece of the tool broke away at its edge, a larger blank blob could form against the rim. Collectors call that rim-connected blob a cud.

Both kinds of tool damage are reported for 1947. There is no single established path or clock position that every example must share, and a scratch cut into the coin is a different kind of damage.

Estimated Value

Thin raised cracks may bring an estimated $5–$40, while a clear rim-connected cud can fall around $50–$600. Larger, easily seen breaks tend to attract more attention than tiny lines.

A 1959-D nickel with a cud sold for $504 in May 2021. That later coin supports a general comparison for a substantial break, not a recorded 1947 price.

The estimate includes the whole coin and should be reduced for serious scratches or cleaning.

How to Identify

Move a lamp across the suspected line rather than scratching it with a tool. A raised ridge changes its shadow differently from a groove cut below the surface.

With a 10× magnifier, follow the ridge where it meets letters or the portrait. For a cud, look instead for an untextured raised area that connects directly to the rim.

Check the opposite face for weakness, which can occur where metal moved into the broken-tool opening. That supporting sign does not have to appear on every small crack.

Use a scale and calipers to check about 5 grams and 21.2 mm, then inspect the plain edge. The blob should grow from the struck surface, without a seam suggesting added metal.

 

9. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Flipover Double Strike

Jefferson’s portrait and Monticello can overlap when a nickel flips before receiving another strike. The 1947 example was struck again inside the restraining collar, so the mistake need not create an oversized coin.

The second strike presses a new design over remains of the first one. Surviving parts of opposite faces can therefore share the same side.

The recorded nickel was graded AU55, meaning it had light wear. This is different from close doubled lettering copied from a faulty tool, and from a mirror-image mark pressed into a coin later.

Estimated Value

A 1947 flipover double strike graded AU55 sold for $216 in March 2023. That gives a direct same-year sale to compare with similar worn examples.

Allow an estimated $175–$400 for clearly recognizable circulated pieces and $400–$750 for especially attractive examples with strong overlapping designs. The upper amount is an estimate, not another sale for the recorded coin.

How easily both designs can be recognized matters more than the number of confusing lines.

How to Identify

Expect normal size first: a strike inside the collar can remain close to 21.2 mm and 5 grams. Check with calipers and a scale, including the original plain edge.

Study both faces together under a 10× magnifier. Pick out a recognizable part of Jefferson or Monticello that belongs to the opposite design, then follow it beyond one isolated line.

A coin squeezed against another coin after minting can have an incuse, or sunken, reversed impression.

A genuine flipover double strike needs a consistent arrangement of the earlier design beneath the later strike.

Compare the overlapping shapes with photographs of the graded 1947 example. Two identifiable designs sharing a face are more convincing than a small doubled letter.

 

10. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Off-Center Strike

An off-center nickel has a blank area beside a design that runs beyond the opposite edge. The metal disc was not fully lined up between the stamping tools when the press struck.

The date may survive or disappear, depending on the direction of the shift. Collectors generally prefer examples that still show the year clearly.

This error is reported for 1947, without a particular mint, angle, or percentage established here. A coin with only one face shifted slightly should be checked separately, because a misaligned tool can produce that appearance.

Estimated Value

Small, clear shifts fit an estimated $30–$100, with stronger examples retaining their dates around $100–$750. The broad range allows for differences in wear and how much of the design is missing.

For comparison, a 1955-D nickel struck 15% off center sold for $402.50 in October 2010. That attractive unworn coin was from another year, so its price should not be assigned automatically to a worn 1947 nickel with a smaller shift.

How to Identify

Read the date before estimating the percentage of missing design. Then turn the coin over without losing track of the blank area, checking whether the shift affects both faces.

A 10× magnifier should show natural unused metal beside the struck portion. Watch for grinding scratches, sharp cut edges, or flattened lettering that suggests later alteration.

Use a scale to compare its weight with 5 grams; an off-center strike normally displaces metal rather than removing it. Calipers record the altered outline against a normal 21.2 mm nickel.

The remaining edge should be plain. A blank area on both faces, paired with missing design across the opposite boundary, distinguishes a real off-center strike from a merely uneven border.

 

11. 1947 Jefferson Nickel Struck on a Cent Blank

A copper-colored 1947-S nickel can carry the design on metal intended for a one-cent coin. The recorded example weighs 3.12 grams, far below a normal nickel’s 5 grams.

A cent blank is also smaller, so the nickel design has less room. Outer lettering can be cut off while central parts remain visible.

NGC described this coin as unworn but scratched on the front. The scratches are later damage, separate from the Mint’s use of the wrong blank, and they do not explain its copper alloy or low weight.

Estimated Value

The recorded 1947-S cent-blank nickel sold for $564 on September 10, 2019, despite its scratched front. The NGC auction record identifies that same-year result.

A practical estimated range is $400–$800 for worn or impaired examples, rising to $800–$1,500 for cleaner, well-preserved coins. Those upper values are estimates, not additional documented 1947 sales.

Readable date and mintmark details help establish exactly what the buyer is purchasing.

How to Identify

Put a loose copper-colored candidate on a scale before relying on its appearance. The recorded example is 3.12 grams; a normal 1947 nickel weighs 5 grams.

A cent began at roughly 19 mm across, compared with the nickel’s 21.2 mm. Use calipers to measure the struck coin, allowing for metal spreading during the strike.

Under a 10× magnifier, look for naturally cropped outer lettering rather than letters cut away by a file. Inspect the plain edge for copper alloy throughout, not a thin surface coating.

Locate the 1947 date and the S beside Monticello. The small copper-alloy body, low weight, and naturally crowded nickel design should agree before the coin is submitted for authentication.

 

Conclusion

A second mintmark outline, a peeling patch, and a missing piece of rim tell very different stories. Begin with the visible feature, then check the coin’s weight and size before comparing photographs.

Estimated values here run from $5 to $1,500. Keep split pairs together, separate scratches from Mint errors, and remember that a sale of one example does not price every coin with the same mistake.