US War Nickels - 35% silver coins

During the Second World War, the USA need to use its Nickel and other alloys for the war cause. So during the war, the Nickel, or the five cent piece, was made of 35% silver, 56% copper and 9% Manganese. Production for the war Nickel began in 1942 and ended in 1945.

These are some of the cheapest investments in Junk Silver. Here are some unique facts about the War Nickel:

• War nickels have the largest Mint Mark of any coin featured on the back of the coin
• The coins tend to be darker and 'tarnish' easier than regular nickels
• Francis LeRoy Henning, a counterfeiter, tried to copy the 1944 War Nickel, but in doing so he forget the Mint Mark, therefore the fakes are easy to distinguish (and ironically of high value to collectors!)
• An error in minting the 1943/2 War Nickel - is a sought after war nickel
• There is an estimate that says 50-60% of all war nickels were lost to the smelters for their silver and copper contents. Read more about the great smelting of coins during the early 1980's here.
• Due to the small size and silver, its considered an excellent 'survivalist' coin.

Below is the list of years and Mintage of war Nickels:

Year Mintage

1942 P 57,873,000

1942 S 32,900,000

1943 P 271,165,000

1943 D 15,294,000

1943 S 104,060,000

1943/2 P unknown

1944 P 119,150,000

1944 D 32,309,000

1944 S 21,640,000

1945 P 119,408,100

1945 D 37,158,000

1945 S 58,939,000

For New Zealanders, this coin is an excellent entry into the Silver market. You can still pick up rolls of War Nickels very cheaply - check Ebay for the best deals (be sure to check postage as well, you should be able to have shipped to New Zealand for about 4 usd ($6.35 NZD).