The story of Silver Jefferson Nickels starts in World War Two when Congress was rationing many commodities. Nickel was rationed because of the use in armor plating. On October 8th, 1942, Congress ordered the United States Mint to remove nickel from the five-cent pieces. From 1942 to the end of 1945, the five-cent pieces were then minted using an alloy of copper, silver and manganese.
The 1942 – 1945 Silver Jefferson Nickels, a junk silver coin, contains 35% silver which is 0.0563 troy ounces. There are some other silver coins ranking in the top most valuable silver coins.
Listed below are the mintage numbers for each year. The year column lists the year and mint mark on the coin where, D is for Denver, S is for San Francisco, and P is for Philadelphia. Also, a coin without a mint mark means the coin was minted in Philadelphia.
The Mintage column is the number of coins struck and released by the U.S. Mint.
The Numismatic Value Range column represents what people typically pay for that type of coin (usually a very wide price range depending on the condition and demand of the coin).
| Year | Mintage | Numismatic Value Range |
| 1942 P | 57,873,000 | $1.00 – $95.00 |
| 1942 S | 32,900,000 | $1.00 – $150.00 |
| 1943 P | 271,165,000 | $0.90 – $120.00 |
| 1943 D | 15,294,000 | $1.25 – $1,100.00 |
| 1943 S | 104,060,000 | $1.00 – $200.00 |
| 1943/2 P | unknown | $30.00 – $1,265.00 |
| 1944 P | 119,150,000 | $1.00 – $500.00 |
| 1944 D | 32,309,000 | $1.00 – $300.00 |
| 1944 S | 21,640,000 | $1.25 – $900.00 |
| 1945 P | 119,408,100 | $0.80 – $300.00 |
| 1945 D | 37,158,000 | $1.00 – $500.00 |
| 1945 S | 58,939,000 | $1.00 – $400.00 |
Where to Buy Silver Jefferson Nickels
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Hi, I recently came across a 1942 S Nickel and it is dirty. What can I clean it with and is it worth much? Thanks, Mark
maguerrero@yahoo.com
Hi, I also recently came across a 1942 S Nickel and it is dirty. What can I clean it with and is it worth much? Thanks, Tina
I have a 1945 D nickel with the mint mark in the wrong place. How much is this worth?