Silver Nickel Years: Which Nickels Are Silver (1942–1945)
Only one kind of U.S. nickel contains silver: the "war nickels" struck from late 1942 through 1945. If your nickel is from those years and has a large mint mark above Monticello's dome, it is 35% silver and worth at least $4.16 no matter how worn it is.
The five-second test
- Check the date. It must read 1942, 1943, 1944, or 1945. No other nickel years are silver.
- Flip the coin over and look at the building (Monticello).
- A large P, D, or S above the dome = silver war nickel. A small letter to the right of the building, or no letter at all = ordinary copper-nickel, worth face value.
One catch for 1942: Philadelphia made both kinds that year. A 1942 nickel with no large letter above the dome is the ordinary copper-nickel version — only the one with the big P is silver.
Why do these nickels contain silver?
Nickel metal was critical to the World War II war effort — it went into armor plate and artillery. In October 1942 the Mint took nickel out of the five-cent coin entirely and substituted an alloy of 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% manganese. To make the new coins easy to spot and pull back out after the war, the mint mark was enlarged and moved above Monticello's dome — including, for the first time in history, a P for Philadelphia.
Each war nickel contains about 0.056 troy ounces of silver. That gives every single one a melt-value floor that moves with the silver price — which is why even the most common, most worn war nickel is worth many times five cents.
Every silver nickel, with values
| Coin | Mintage | Value range |
|---|---|---|
| 1942-P Silver Wartime Jefferson Nickel | ~57.9 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
| 1942-S Jefferson Nickel | ~32.9 million struck | $4.48–$33 |
| 1943-D Jefferson Nickel | ~15.3 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
| 1943 Jefferson Nickel | ~271 million struck | $4.48–$28 |
| 1943-S Jefferson Nickel | ~104 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
| 1944-D Jefferson Nickel | ~32.3 million struck | $4.16–$40 |
| 1944 Jefferson Nickel | ~119 million struck | $4.16–$40 |
| 1944-S Jefferson Nickel | ~21.6 million struck | $4.16–$29 |
| 1945-D Jefferson Nickel | ~37.2 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
| 1945 Jefferson Nickel | ~119 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
| 1945-S Jefferson Nickel | ~58.9 million struck | $4.16–$28 |
Guide values from the USACoinBook price guide (updated Feb 2026), from heavily worn to uncirculated. The low end tracks the silver melt value, so it moves with the silver market. Rare error varieties of the war years are listed on the individual pages.
Common questions
Are Buffalo nickels silver?
No. Buffalo nickels (1913–1938) are copper-nickel and contain no silver. The only silver U.S. nickels are the 1942–1945 war nickels shown above.
Can I test a war nickel with a magnet?
Neither version sticks to a magnet, so that test tells you nothing here. The mint mark above the dome is the test that matters.
Should I sell war nickels for melt?
For worn, common dates, melt value is most of the value — dealers buy them by the roll at a multiple of face value. Nicer coins and the 1942 Type 2 are worth selling individually on eBay.