War nickel (1942–1945)
A Jefferson nickel of 1942 to 1945 made of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese, marked by a large P, D or S above the dome of Monticello on the back.
How to read it
Nickel was needed for World War II, and the Second War Powers Act changed the five-cent alloy to copper, silver and manganese (US Mint timeline). To show the new metal, the Mint moved the mint mark from the right of Monticello to above its dome, made it large, and for the first time put a P on coins struck in Philadelphia. After the war the regular alloy came back, the mint marks returned to their old place and the Mint stopped using the P. NGC says every nickel dated 1943, 1944 or 1945 should be the silver alloy; 1942 nickels were made in both. PCGS lists 5.00 grams, and Ron Guth notes that new war nickels were silver-white and turn greenish with wear.
Also searched as: 1943 nickel, silver war nickel, wartime nickel.
What identifies each coin, from the US Mint and numismatic references. Where a value is given, it is a named price guide’s figure on a stated date; values change, and this page doesn’t buy, sell or appraise coins.
A silver or a regular 1942 nickel
NGC says a 1942 nickel weighs the same in either alloy, so the mint mark is what separates them: a large letter over the dome marks the wartime alloy. Regular 1942 nickels have the mint mark to the right of Monticello, or none from Philadelphia.
Varieties
David Lange, writing for NGC, names the 1943/2-P overdate as the foremost variety and counts eleven date and mint issues in the 1942 to 1945 set.
Why few are found in change
Lange says war nickels began to disappear from circulation in the late 1960s, when the silver in them came to be worth more than five cents.
Read next
- Next in Notable US coinsSilver quarters (1964 and earlier)US quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. From 1965 quarters are copper-nickel on a copper core, which shows as a copper stripe on the edge.
- In US mint marksP mint markP is the mint mark of the Philadelphia Mint. Since 1980 it has been on Philadelphia’s coins of every denomination except the cent; before that, Philadelphia’s coins mostly carried no mint mark at all.
More notable US coins
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or letters and numbers.
Sources
- Nickel, US Mint, Learn: circulating coins, United States Mint, History
- Historical Timeline of the US Mint, US Mint, Learn: history, United States Mint, 1942 entry
- Jefferson Nickel, Type 2, Silver Alloy (1942–1945), CoinFacts category page, Ron Guth, PCGS CoinFacts (Professional Coin Grading Service), Type description (Ron Guth)
- 1942-P 5C Silver (Regular Strike) Jefferson Nickel, PCGS #4016, PCGS CoinFacts (Professional Coin Grading Service), Specifications; description
- The Wartime Silver “Nickels” of 1942–45, Part Two, David W. Lange, NGC (17 April 2008), Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), Whole article
- Face Value: Silver Coins in Circulation, NGC news, posted 10 January 2023, Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), 1942-1945 Jefferson Nickel (Wartime Silver Alloy)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
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