NGC Celebrates First 2020-W Nickel

The US Mint has announced that a special 2020-W Proof Nickel is included with all purchases of the 2020 United States Mint Proof Set, on sale February 27, 2020. This is the first nickel to feature the “W” mint mark of the West Point Mint.

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) is celebrating this historic coin with an attribution of First “W” Mint Mark Nickel, which is provided for no additional fee, along with the NGC West Point Gold Star Label. NGC’s popular First Releases and Early Releases designations and labels are also available, as well as the Thomas Jefferson Special Label.

2020-W Proof Nickel with the special attribution and NGC West Point Label (left) and NGC First Releases designation and label (right) Click images to enlarge.

The Jefferson Nickel was first struck by the US Mint in 1938, when it replaced the Buffalo Nickel. From 1938 until 2005, the coin featured Thomas Jefferson in profile. After a significant redesign in 2006, Jefferson now faces forward, while the coin’s reverse is still the original depiction of Jefferson’s neoclassical home, Monticello.

Over the years, the Jefferson Nickel has been produced at the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco mints — indeed, the first time the “P” mint mark for Philadelphia appeared on a US coin was the Jefferson Nickel — but never at the West Point Mint.

The 2020-W Proof Nickel is exclusively available with the 2020 US Mint Proof Set, which features Proof versions of the ten coins struck this year for circulation: a cent, nickel, dime, five America the Beautiful quarters, a half dollar and dollar, all with the “S” mint mark. With sculpted, frosted foregrounds struck in sharp relief against reflective, mirror-like backgrounds, US Mint Proof coins have a distinctive cameo effect.

Later in the year, with the Silver Proof and Uncirculated coin sets, two additional Jefferson Nickels bearing the “W” mint mark will be released — one a Reverse Proof and the other with an Uncirculated finish. The three premium 2020-W nickels will not be offered for individual sale.

Submission Instructions

• Note: The 2020-W Proof Nickel does not have to be submitted with the entire 2020 Proof Set; however, all coins submitted must be graded.
• Submit the 2020-W Proof Nickel and 2020 Proof Set coins under the Modern grading tier or higher.
• If you would like Mint packaging returned, select the “Return Mint Packaging” box on the NGC Submission Form. The fee is $5 plus the cost of shipping.

The following attribution and designations are available for the 2020-W Proof Nickel:

The following labels are available for the 2020-W Proof Nickel:

Label options	Fee	Directions
West Point Gold Star #391	Free	By default (The First Releases and Early Releases designations are also available with this label for an additional $12 fee, if applicable.)
First Releases #379	Included with fee for First Releases designation (+$12)	Select First Releases and enter First Releases #379 on your submission form. Otherwise, West Point Gold Star #391 will be used.
Early Releases #378	Included with fee for Early Releases designation (+$12)	Select Early Releases and enter Early Releases #378 on your submission form. Otherwise, West Point Gold Star #391 will be used.
Thomas Jefferson Label #563	+$5 per coin	Select Special Label in Box 7 and enter Thomas Jefferson Label #563 on your submission form. (The First Releases and Early Releases designations are also available with this label for an additional $12 fee, if applicable.)
NGC Standard Brown #377	Free	Enter Standard Brown Label #377 on your submission form.

Questions? Contact NGC Customer Service at service@NGCcoin.com or 1-800-NGC-COIN (1-800-642-2646).

NGC Collectors Society paid members can submit their coins directly to NGC. Not an NGC Collectors Society member? Paid memberships start at just $25/year. Join today >

Bulk Submissions

NGC’s First Day of Issue designation and labels are available for select bulk submissions only. To qualify for First Day of Issue, coins must be purchased within one day of the first day that a mint makes a new coin issue available for sale and must be received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository within one week of the release date. NGC will require that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate the date when the coins were purchased.

For bulk submissions, contact Scott Heller at Sheller@NGCcoin.com or 941-360-3990 or Miles Standish at Miles@NGCcoin.com or 949-922-0515.