War nickel (1942–1945)

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.

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.