Noah asks: I was wondering how many coins are in a complete set of silver war nickels. And what would be an estimated price for a set in average condition, and also the weight and silver percentage of each coin. If you would. Thanks for your time.
There are eleven “War Nickels” (1942-45), that is U.S. 5 cent coins made from an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. Each coin weighs the standard 5 grams and contains .05626 oz. pure silver.
Nickel was in short supply during the war years and eliminating that material from the 5 cent coin alleviated part of the shortage. All the “War Nickels” can be identified by a large mint mark over the dome of Monticello on the reverse. 1944 Nickels with no mint mark are counterfeit.
Circulated sets are easy to assemble for about $2.00 or so per coin. Only the varieties and doubled die examples are expensive but not so that you couldn’t manage to include them in your set:
- 1943P 3 over 2 – range about $50-$75 in average circulated condition
- 1943P doubled die – range $30-$50
- 1945P doubled die – range:$20 -$50
