The 1970 Nickel Value Guide: What Yours Is Really Worth

The Full Steps designation on a 1970-D nickel is one of modern numismatics' rarest conditional rarities. Over 515 million pieces were struck at Denver, yet PCGS has certified only three 1970-D Full Steps examples in its entire history. The root cause is die fatigue: by 1970, the U.S. Mint was using working dies well past their optimal lifespan, and the 75%/25% copper-nickel alloy is notoriously difficult to strike cleanly into intricate areas like Monticello's entrance steps.

To earn the Full Steps designation, a coin must show at least five complete, uninterrupted horizontal step lines running the full width of the Monticello base on the reverse. Even a single break or fade across any step line disqualifies the coin from FS status. The high points of the steps are struck last and wear first, meaning nearly all examples show weak or merged steps regardless of overall grade.

Collectors pay extraordinary premiums for certified FS examples because the known population is so tiny relative to overall production. PCGS CoinFacts documents the all-time auction record for a 1970-D FS nickel at $1,208 for an MS64FS specimen sold at Heritage Auctions in December 2004. The markup for FS status on the Denver issue can reach 1,500% above the value of a common coin in the same numeric grade.

The 1970-S Full Steps nickel holds the all-time auction record for the entire 1970 nickel series. A specimen graded MS66FS sold for $6,463 at Heritage Auctions on January 6, 2016 — the confirmed auction record per PCGS CoinFacts. While the 1970-D FS population is nearly nonexistent (three known), the 1970-S is comparatively more accessible, with nearly 200 Full Steps examples documented across all grades.

San Francisco's 1970 circulation strikes benefit from slightly better die quality than Denver's output of the same year. The relief on Monticello's steps is more consistently rendered, though still far below what modern collectors would consider a "common" Full Steps date. A coin must show complete, uninterrupted step lines visible under a 10× loupe — the designation is not awarded for near-full or partially struck steps.

The 1970-S is also historically significant as the last year San Francisco produced circulation nickels. From 1971 forward, all S-mint nickels have been proofs only. This transition context adds numismatic narrative appeal that collectors appreciate alongside the pure strike-quality premium of the FS designation.

The Doubled Die Obverse on 1970 nickels is a die-making error, not a striking error. Before 1997, working dies required multiple hub impressions to transfer the full design. If the die or hub shifted slightly between impressions, doubled imagery was permanently etched into the die — meaning every coin struck from that die carries identical doubling. Both Denver and San Francisco mints produced DDO varieties in 1970, each with distinct die markers for attribution.

The doubling appears most prominently on "LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST," the date numerals, and the star to the right of Jefferson's portrait. Class II distorted hub doubling produces a spread toward the center, while Class V pivoted hub doubling displays a rotational separation — the 1970 DDO varieties include examples of both types. Die scratches and gouges documented by Brian's Variety Coins serve as diagnostic markers to authenticate specific die marriages.

Value depends heavily on doubling visibility. Circulated examples with clear doubling sell for $25–$75; uncirculated specimens with bold, obvious spread reach $150–$300. PCGS-certified examples from either mint command premiums up to $500 or more when doubling is prominent and fully visible without magnification. Collectors should reference CONECA or Wexler's die variety files for specific DDO designations.

Wrong planchet errors occur when a blank intended for a different denomination accidentally enters the nickel striking press. For 1970 nickels, both cent planchet and clad dime planchet examples have been certified. The mixing typically happened when denomination bins became contaminated during production line changeovers at the mint — a genuine manufacturing disaster that creates one of the most visually dramatic error coins in the series.

A 1970 nickel struck on a copper Lincoln cent planchet weighs approximately 3.1 grams instead of the standard 5 grams and displays an immediately obvious copper-gold color. The smaller cent planchet (19mm vs. 21.2mm) causes portions of the nickel's design to be cut off at the edges. Heritage Auctions documented examples including a specimen from the Don Bonser Collection graded MS62 by PCGS — struck on a clad dime planchet — confirming that multiple planchet types were affected.

These errors are exceptionally rare, with very few documented examples from either mint. The dramatic visual impact, confirmed third-party certification, and extreme scarcity all drive the premium. Wrong planchet errors for 1970 nickels typically sell for $2,000–$5,000 depending on grade and eye appeal, with higher-grade examples potentially commanding even greater premiums at major auction houses.

Repunched Mint Mark varieties resulted from the hand-punching process used to apply mint marks to working dies before 1990. Mint workers manually punched a letter punch into each working die, and if the first impression was misaligned or insufficiently deep, a second punch was applied — creating visible traces of multiple impressions. The 1970 nickels show several documented RPM varieties for both the D and S mint marks, with designations indicating the direction of the initial impression.

The most notable 1970-S RPM is listed as WRPM-001 (S/S West), where a secondary "S" impression is visible to the west of the primary mark. Brian's Variety Coins documents this variety with specific die markers: obverse shows die scratches on the rim above "D of GOD," and the reverse carries a die dot inside the right small window of Monticello. These markers allow definitive attribution of the variety even on worn examples.

RPM values depend heavily on how visible and dramatic the secondary impression appears under magnification. Varieties easily visible to the naked eye without a loupe command higher premiums than those requiring magnification to detect. Circulated examples typically sell for $15–$50, while uncirculated certified specimens with prominent repunching reach $100–$200. These are excellent entry-level varieties for new collectors exploring the 1970 nickel series.