Jefferson War Nickel
THE 35% SILVER JEFFERSON NICKEL, 1942 TO 1945
Prices are MS-63 estimates, Oct 2026. A photograph appears below where we hold a public-domain photo of that exact date and mint; other issues show a medallion here, and their page shows the nearest type coin, labelled.
1940s
12 issuesNo issues match those filters.
Soon
In preparationValues are Lustre editorial estimate, Oct 2026, not market data. Medallions stand in for issues without a photograph of that exact date; each value page shows a labelled type coin. How we estimate.
The Jefferson War Nickel, in brief
Nickel was needed for the war effort, so from late 1942 to 1945 the Mint struck five-cent coins in an alloy of 35% silver, 56% copper and 9% manganese. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson nickel in 1938. To make the silver coins easy to sort out later, the Mint moved the mint mark above Monticello and made it large; it is the only time a P appears on a US coin for Philadelphia. Lustre lists the silver issues: the 1942-P and 1942-S with a large mint mark, and every nickel of 1943 to 1945. The copper-nickel 1942 coins and the 1942-D are not part of this series.
A war nickel is worth a little more than a regular nickel because it holds about 0.056 troy ounces of silver. Almost all dates trade close to that melt value. The 1943-P with the 3 over 2 overdate is a clear exception and is worth much more.
- Designer
- Felix Schlag
- Composition
- 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese
- Mint marks
- Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver
- Key dates
- 1943-P (3 over 2)
Jefferson nickel, Wikipedia: wartime composition, weight, diameter, edge, mint mark position, designer, 1943 overdate.
Jefferson nickel mintage, Landofcoins.com: mintage by year and mint.
Lustre editorial grade-value estimates, Lustre: grade value ranges (estimates, not market data).
gold-api.com spot prices (reference level for estimates), gold-api.com: reference spot prices behind the estimates.