Silver calculator / Coin guide
Wartime Jefferson nickels, silver issues 1942-1945
War Nickel Value: 35% Silver Identification
Only the silver-alloy wartime issues belong here, not every nickel dated during the war. Check for the large mint mark over Monticello, especially in the transition year 1942. An ordinary copper-nickel five-cent coin is outside this formula.
Silver spot
$51.75/ozt
Metal prices by MetalChartsUSD per troy ounce. As of . Fetched .
Estimated melt per coin
$2.91
Metal prices by MetalChartsUses the dated spot shown here and nominal silver content; no offer or collectible premium.
Price may be out of date. The saved quote is older than 36 hours or flagged stale. Check the source before relying on a metal estimate.
Melt value is an estimate of the silver content only, at the dated spot price shown. It is not an offer to buy or sell, and not investment advice. Dealer offers are often below melt, and collectible coins can be worth more.
Silver content and the formula
Nominal total weight: 5.00 g. Composition: 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese. Silver content: 1.75 g, approximately 0.05626 troy ounces per coin.
Standard weight: 77.16 grains (about 5.00 g). Composition: 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese. Silver content: about 1.75 g, approximately 0.05626 troy ounces per coin. Gram figures are converted from the grain weight in the Mint table below (1 grain = 64.79891 mg). The formula uses the rounded nominal silver grams shown above.
Melt value (USD) = (1.75 g ÷ 31.1034768 g/ozt) × silver spot (USD/ozt).
Source: Director of the Mint, Domestic and Foreign Coins 1792-1965, table C6, printed p. 9. Nominal original weights are used; wear and loss of metal can lower actual silver content. A troy ounce is different from the ordinary household ounce.
What can make one worth more?
Separate the alloy identification from any variety question. A large mint mark identifies the relevant wartime type, but it does not authenticate an overdate, doubled design or unusual surface.
Date, mint mark and condition
The Mint table gives a standard weight of 77.16 grains and 35% silver. Converting the grain weight gives about 5.00 g total and about 1.75 g silver; the formula uses these rounded nominal gram figures.
Keep the date, mint and any suspected variety together in your notes. A mint mark identifies a production location; it is not a grade. Preserve the surfaces rather than cleaning a coin to make it look brighter. If an unusual coin warrants professional assessment, have it graded by PCGS or NGC; neither service sponsors this guide.
Suspected errors need authentication
Doubled-looking letters, a weak design or unusual color can have more than one explanation. This guide does not identify an error variety from a description or assign a premium. A damaged or altered coin is not automatically a mint error. Obtain an independent assessment before attaching a variety name or collectible value.
Mint-report production records
These are the manufacturing counts and categories stated in the linked Mint publications, not a survival census or a grade-price table. They can include proofs, assay pieces and production outside the year on the coin. They should not be substituted silently for circulation-strike catalog mintages.
| Issue and report category | Pieces | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All silver-alloy five-cent pieces in table C6 | 869,923,700 | Director of the Mint, Domestic and Foreign Coins 1792-1965, table C6, printed p. 9 |
Melting and export rules
Federal rules generally prohibit melting or exporting U.S. 5-cent coins (31 CFR 82.1), but they exempt 1942–1945 nickels made of the copper-silver-manganese alloy (31 CFR 82.2(d)). Other nickels do not qualify for this wartime-alloy exception. This metal-content estimate does not instruct you to melt coins; verify the applicable rules before taking action.
Sources and corrections
Last checked: . Weight/composition: Director of the Mint, Domestic and Foreign Coins 1792-1965, table C6, printed p. 9. Production sources are linked beside every count above. No PCGS, NGC or Red Book price-guide tables or descriptions are reproduced.
If a date, composition or count is wrong, send a correction with the source and page number. We review corrections and log changes in the source record.