Rare 1970 Nickel Errors (List & Pictures)
Not every copper-colored nickel began as an unused blank. A 1970-D nickel stamped over a finished Lincoln cent still shows both designs and sold for $3,737.50 in January 2011.
This guide to 1970 nickel errors covers estimated values of $10–$6,500. Compare the small design details first, then the outline and metal; an S mintmark can appear on either an ordinary coin or a collector Proof.
1. 1970 Nickel An Extra Curve Beside D or S: Repunched Mintmark Error
The small mint letter below the date can hold an earlier outline. Workers punched these letters into the die by hand, and a second punch could land at a different angle.
Denver examples have overlapping D shapes. San Francisco examples show several arrangements of extra S curves, so there is no single position to find on every coin.
How to Identify
Use a magnifier to follow the complete extra curve. Compare it with the matching mint and finish in the illustrated 1970 variety listings.
A Proof is a coin specially made for collectors. San Francisco made both Proofs and ordinary nickels in 1970, so the S alone does not establish which kind you have.
One Proof has a repeated S to the left and doubled lettering on the back. That combination belongs to one pattern; another repunched S may look different.
What It’s Worth
$10–$250 is an estimated range for identified minor repunched mintmarks. The clarity of the extra letter, the particular pattern, and surface preservation all matter.
A Proof with doubled back lettering should be valued as a complete coin. Adding the top prices for its two features would overstate the comparison.
2. 1970 Nickel Repeated Letter Edges: Doubled Die Error
A doubled die carries a repeated design before it strikes any coins. It can leave closely spaced extra edges on letters, numbers, or other details.
For 1970, Denver and San Francisco examples include separate front and back patterns. They should not be combined into a checklist that every coin must pass.
How to Identify
On the Denver back variety, begin with AMERICA and then examine the other inscriptions. A front variety may involve LIBERTY, the star, date, motto, or lower hair ribbon.
San Francisco Proof patterns can affect the motto, initials, back lettering, building, or steps. Match the affected area to a photograph of that specific variety.
Rounded repeated outlines or split letter ends are more useful than thick letters alone. A flat shelf beside a letter may be mechanical doubling caused during the strike.
What It’s Worth
$10–$500 provides an estimated span across the identified doubled designs. A bold, recognizable pattern has a different appeal from one requiring a strong magnifier.
Keep Proof and ordinary-strike comparisons separate. Full Steps describes sharp staircase detail and can affect the value of a normal nickel without proving a doubled die.
3. 1970 Nickel A Faint Shape From the Other Side: Die Clash Error
An unexpected outline in an open area may come from the design on the opposite side. A die clash happens when the two stamping tools meet without a blank between them.
The collision can mark the tools. Coins struck afterward may show traces of those transferred shapes.
How to Identify
Compare a suspected outline with the opposite face of a normal nickel. Several connected parts should fit the portrait or building better than a random line would.
Check whether the mark cuts into the finished surface like a scratch. Polishing lines on a die can also produce extra lines without transferring a recognizable design.
The supplied 1970 reports do not establish one universal mint or location. Photograph the actual mark together with the date and mint letter.
What It’s Worth
$10–$150 is a working estimate for modest genuine clashes. Stronger recognizable shapes and better surfaces generally make the error easier to appreciate.
This is a range based on minor Jefferson nickel clashes, not a recorded sale assigned to one exact 1970 pattern.
4. 1970 Nickel Raised Rim Patches: Die Breaks and a Covered-Die Strike Error
A lump that joins the rim can form when part of a die breaks away. Metal rises into the missing part of the tool, leaving a raised area called a cud.
One Denver pattern has breaks at the top and bottom of the front. A different sequence also shows a flattened portrait because a stuck coin covered the die.
How to Identify
Follow the edge of each raised patch back to the rim. Added metal may leave a seam or a different surface instead of a naturally struck boundary.
For the covered-die example, inspect the weak portrait and both breaks together. The coin that received this strike is not itself the deep cup-shaped die cap discussed later.
Other Denver patterns and a San Francisco example have different boundaries. Match one actual pattern rather than borrowing the top-and-bottom layout for all cuds.
What It’s Worth
$15–$800 covers an estimated range of visible breaks and the covered-die combination. Large breaks, clear related features, and preservation can change the price.
A lightly worn Denver two-break coin graded AU58 sold for $63 in October 2022. A separate covered-die example graded MS61 brought $94 in August 2013.
Another coin from the latter break sequence, graded MS63, brought $199.75 at that auction. These results belong to separate coins, not a pair sold together.
5. 1970 Nickel Missing Pieces of the Outline: Clipped Planchet Error
A planchet is a blank prepared for striking. A clipped planchet was already missing metal before it received the coin design.
Reported 1970 clips include curved and straight gaps. A Denver coin cataloged in 2007 has two main clips and part of a third.
How to Identify
Look where the rim and lettering approach each opening. They should show the effects of striking around missing metal, rather than finished details sliced through afterward.
A normal nickel weighs 5 grams and measures about 21.21 millimeters. Use a scale for a loose coin; a substantial clip should lower its weight.
A weak rim opposite a curved gap can help support a genuine clip. Also inspect the opening for tool marks from sawing or filing.
What It’s Worth
$10–$600 is an estimated span from small single clips to more noticeable multiple clips. The size and appearance of the gaps matter more than their count alone.
The Denver multiple-clip example was graded AU50, indicating light wear. A different-date 1974 double-curved clip in MS66 sold for $132 in July 2021, providing a comparison rather than a 1970 sale.
6. 1970 Nickel The Design Misses Part of the Blank: Off-Center Strike Error
When a blank sits too far to one side, the dies cannot place the full design on it. An untouched area remains opposite the details that run beyond the edge.
Separate Denver reports describe 65% and 80% off-center examples. Those percentages describe different coins.
How to Identify
Examine both faces for the same division between struck and untouched metal. A shift confined to one face can come from a misaligned die instead.
Read whatever remains of the year and mint letter. A dramatic displacement is less useful for a dated collection if the date cannot be established.
An enlarged coin with its entire design still present may be a broadstrike. Do not estimate an off-center percentage from rim width alone.
What It’s Worth
$30–$700 is a practical estimated range for identifiable 1970 off-center nickels. Condition, the surviving date, and the balance of the design affect where an example fits.
A 1999-D nickel struck 65% off center sold for $75 in September 2024. That different-year result shows why a larger shift does not guarantee a high price.
7. 1970 Nickel Two Strikes and a Depression: Double Strike With an Indent Error
A documented Denver coin combines two events from one striking accident. After its first strike, it received a second blow about 50% off center.
Another blank covered part of its front during that later blow. The blank left a depression, called an indent, across roughly 10% of the face.
How to Identify
Find clear details from both strikes before studying the depression. With the first design upright, the indent sits near 9 o’clock.
Follow how the second design meets the blocked area. A later dent does not explain two overlapping struck images around it.
The other blank was not included with the documented MS64 coin. This is one combined-error nickel, not a matched two-coin set.
What It’s Worth
$400–$1,500 is an estimated range for comparable double strikes with genuine indents. The strength of both images and the coin’s condition influence the whole value.
The February 2008 auction records a $750 winning bid plus buyer’s premium. The fee must be added to that bid to obtain the buyer’s total cost.
8. 1970 Nickel A Cup-Shaped Coin and Its Partner: Mated Die-Cap Pair Error
Two 1970-S nickels preserve connected parts of a press accident. One became a deep cup after sticking to a die, while its partner spread outward and received another strike through an intervening blank.
The cup has Jefferson inside it and a flattened backward portrait on its outside bottom. Those related impressions help explain why the coins belong together.
How to Identify
Use side views to see the cap’s depth, then compare both faces with the partner. The partner’s interrupted front and expanded back should fit the documented sequence.
Do not push the pieces together. Photographs can show their relationship without damaging the cup wall.
Both documented coins were graded MS67, indicating unworn surfaces with very few marks. The partner also received Six Full Steps recognition for its staircase detail.
What It’s Worth
$1,500–$4,000 is an estimated range for a comparable intact pair. The connection between the pieces is part of its appeal.
The complete pair sold for $2,070 in September 2010. That amount covers both pieces together and is not a price for each coin.
9. 1970 Nickel Copper Metal With Only the Nickel Design: Cent Blank Error
A nickel struck on an unused cent blank can be copper-colored and too small for the full design. It carries Jefferson’s design without an earlier Lincoln design underneath.
A documented 1970-S example is an ordinary strike graded MS64. Its S does not make it a Proof.
How to Identify
Check the cropped outer lettering and compare the weight with a contemporary cent’s normal 3.11 grams. A cent blank starts at about 19.05 millimeters but may spread during striking.
These are standard blank measurements, not recorded measurements of the MS64 example. Look along the edge for plating or trimming that could imitate a smaller copper coin.
If clear Lincoln-cent details survive, examine the double-denomination category below. An unused blank has no earlier coin design to preserve.
What It’s Worth
$200–$1,000 is an estimated range for comparable genuine cent-blank nickels. A readable date and mint letter help establish what the coin is.
The ordinary-strike San Francisco MS64 example sold for $420 in December 2024. Use ordinary-strike comparisons for that coin rather than Proof prices.
10. 1970 Nickel A Small Gray Coin With Layered Metal: Dime Blank Error
A dime blank also gives the nickel design too little room. Its metal has copper between copper-nickel outer layers, unlike a normal solid-alloy nickel.
The recorded San Francisco Proof weighs 2.2 grams and is graded PR66. An ordinary-strike example in MS62 is reported separately.
How to Identify
Look for outer letters running beyond the available metal. A normal dime starts near 2.27 grams and 17.91 millimeters, though striking can change the outline.
Inspect the edge for the copper core and establish the finish separately. These dime blanks are layered metal, not 90% silver.
The Proof’s 2.2-gram measurement belongs to that specimen alone. Determine the ordinary coin’s mint from its own surviving details.
What It’s Worth
$200–$2,500 spans the estimated ordinary-strike and Proof ranges. More specifically, ordinary examples are estimated at $200–$1,000 and comparable Proofs at $700–$2,500.
The 1970-S PR66 coin sold for $1,020 in October 2022. A 1974 ordinary nickel on a dime blank brought $299 in January 2011, offering a separate different-year comparison.
11. 1970 Nickel A Proof on Foreign Metal: Philippine Five-Sentimo Blank Error
One 1970-S Proof nickel was identified as struck on a blank intended for a Philippine five-sentimo coin. The mistake lies in the metal disk supplied to the nickel press.
An unused foreign blank does not need to show a foreign coin design. Its material and dimensions are what establish the wrong starting piece.
How to Identify
Match the date, S mintmark, Proof finish, and unusual blank with the complete certification record. The documented coin has an NGC PR66 grade.
Record a loose coin’s weight and size, and use professional metal testing to check its composition. Color alone cannot identify a Philippine denomination.
Inspect for coatings or an altered edge before drawing a conclusion from the measurements. The normal nickel figures given earlier are only a baseline.
What It’s Worth
$750–$3,000 is an estimated range for a comparable identified Proof on this foreign blank. Preservation and a secure blank attribution help support the comparison.
Mint Error News records a $1,110 Heritage result for the PR66 example in September 2020. That result belongs to the San Francisco Proof, not any nickel described as foreign metal.
12. 1970 Nickel Lincoln Details Under Jefferson: Struck Over a Finished Cent Error
A finished cent can enter the nickel press and receive a second denomination. On the documented example, both earlier cent details and later nickel details identify the strikes as 1970-D.
The older design survives beneath the newer one on the same piece of copper. This is called a double-denomination error.
How to Identify
Locate a clear Lincoln-cent feature and a clear Jefferson-nickel feature. Follow where the two designs overlap instead of relying on copper color.
Read each surviving date and mint identity separately. One visible 1970-D date does not automatically establish the date of the design underneath.
The documented coin is graded MS66 Red and Brown, describing strong unworn preservation and mixed copper color. A seam joining two separate coins would be a different explanation.
What It’s Worth
$1,500–$6,500 is an estimated range for comparable genuine double-denomination pieces. Legible remains of both designs and attractive surfaces can strengthen the price.
The MS66 Red and Brown example sold for $3,737.50 on January 7, 2011. Its two denominations form one coin with one value.
Conclusion
For 1970 nickels, identify the mint and finish before comparing prices. An ordinary S-mint coin, an S-mint Proof, and a Denver variety can have very different comparisons.
The estimated $10–$6,500 spread covers small die details through two-denomination coins. Keep a paired set’s total together, and treat several effects on one nickel as features of a single collectible.
