Newbie Question - What happened to the 2009 Nickels 0

[Seamus8]

I just sorted 25 rolls of nickels from my spare change stash. Of the 1,000 nickels I sorted, I only found one 2009, i.e., a 2009-D.

My question is: why are people hording 2009 nickels?

[Sandon]

   Nickels and dimes dated 2009 were hoarded around the time of issue because they had substantially lower mintages than any circulating coins of these denominations had had for four or more decades.  These mintages ranged from a low of 39,840,000 for the 2009-P nickel to 96,500,000 for the 2009-P dime, instead of the several hundred million to over a billion coins per denomination per mint that had become the norm. They will never be rare coins to collectors due to the hoarding and because the mintages aren't small compared to those of much older coins.  However, the relatively low mintages and the hoarding combine to make them quite difficult to find in circulation.

[EagleRJO]

This article by PCG$ may provide some additional insight... https://www.pcgs.com/news/why-are-2009-nickels-so-hard-to-find

[VKurtB]

The easier one to find is actually the one from the 2009 uncirculated sets, which were struck with a matte finish. The regular circulation-intended finish is very hard to find “in the wild”. There have been reports, mostly around 2011 or so, that a very high percentage of 2009 nickels went to Puerto Rico and are fairly common in everyday commerce there. It’s not enough to get me to go there. 

[J P M]

 

On 12/7/2022 at 11:45 AM, Seamus8 said:

I just sorted 25 rolls of nickels from my spare change stash. Of the 1,000 nickels I sorted, I only found one 2009, i.e., a 2009-D.

My question is: why are people hording 2009 nickels?

You were lucky to find even one. I have searched many more rolls' to fine none