Many examples of this very common date are highly lustrous and faintly prooflike as a consequence of having been coined with retired proof dies. Most, however, are deficient in strike, particularly at their centers. Though the certified population of 5FS coins is fairly low, this figure is among the higher ones for nickels of the 1960s.
Of the many doubled-die varieties for 1962(P) nickels, a few of the DDRs merit attention from collections.
By 1962 the nation was in the throes of a serious coin shortage, and mintages rose dramatically from one year to the next. The sheer number of nickels produced at the Denver Mint in 1962 should have assured a good supply of gems, but this is simply not the case. Nearly all 1962 D nickels are dreary, with eroded dies, poor strikes revealing rough planchets and just so-so luster. Full step specimens are very rare.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | Proof |
| 100,602,019 | 280,195,720 | 3,218,019 |