Nickel (United States coin)
| Composition | 25% nickel 75% copper “War Nickels” (mid-1942 to 1945): 56% copper 35% silver 9% manganese |
| Silver | 1942 to 1945 Wartime Nickels only (with large mint mark on reverse) 1.750 g 0.05626 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1866 – present (except 1922, 1932, and 1933) |
| Obverse | |
|---|---|
| Design | Thomas Jefferson |
Is a 1940 S nickel silver?
Jefferson Nickels are not silver but consist mostly of copper with a balance of nickel that give them a “silver” appearance. The only exception is in 1942-1945 and they did contain 35% silver and 75%, but they must have the large mint mark on the back and above the Monticello Monument.
What kind of nickel is a 1940 Jefferson nickel made of?
Editions as early as the 1940 are popular amongst coin collectors. The original design ran through 1938-2003. Jefferson Nickels were primarily made of 75% copper and 25% nickel.
What was the composition of the silver war nickels?
These coins were made of an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese rather than 75% copper and 25% nickel as the coins had been made since 1866. So why was the metallic composition of the coins changed? Copper and especially nickel were both metals with strategic uses for the war and were more valuable than silver at the time.
What are the mint marks on a 1942 nickel?
The Mint mark. Silver war nickels bear large Mint marks of “S”, “D” or “P” above the dome of Monticello on the reverse. The idea of these large marks was to clearly denote the Silver nickel years, making the coins easier to pull from circulation after the war. If you have a 1942-P Nickel, you have a Silver war nickel.
When was the first silver nickel coin made?
Silver Nickels One of the more unusual Silver coins was the Jefferson Nickel of 1942 to 1945. Jefferson Nickels were first minted in 1938 and made of 75% Copper and 25% Nickel. However, in 1942, with World War II raging in Europe and the Pacific, Nickel became a critical war material.
