Silver Nickels
Today, 35% Silver war nickels have begun to attract attention from collectors and investors of all kinds. Produced by the United States from mid-1942 to 1945, these 'War Nickels' were made from 56% Copper, 35% Silver, and 9% manganese. By saving the nickel metal, the government was able to use that metal for the production of military supplies during World War II. 1943 War Nickel. The highest mintage silver war nickel is the 1943-P, with 271,165,000 coins struck. About 20% of these coins can be found with 5 of 6 steps on Monticello, while examples with all.
During World War II, the Jefferson Nickel series underwent a significant change. Since nickel was identified as a strategic metal for the war effort, the composition of the five cent piece was changed to a composition of 35% silver, 9% manganese, and 56% copper. The Silver War Nickels (Buy on eBay) minted from 1942 to 1945 create an interesting short set within the broader series.
Production of the first “Wartime Nickels” began at the Philadelphia Mint on October 8, 1942. Earlier in the year nickels had been produced with their standard compositions. To identify the coins struck with the new composition, a large sized mint mark was placed on the reverse of the coins, above Monticello. The mintmarks “P”, “D”, or “S” were used for the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints. Notably, this was the first time that a mint mark had been used for coins produced in Philadelphia.
Silver Nickels Years
Silver Jefferson Nickels were produced through 1945, after which point the composition would revert to the previous standard. During the four years of production, the US Mint had struck more than 870 million of the 35% silver nickels. A complete set will include 11 coins, 1942 P-S, 1943 P-D-S, 1944-P-D-S, and 1945 P-D-S. The 1942-P Silver Jefferson Nickel was also struck in proof format with a mintage of 27,600 coins. All coins remain readily available even in uncirculated grades, although some issues are more difficult to find with full steps.