Coin value · live melt price
War Nickel Value & Melt Value Today
A silver war nickel holds 0.0563 troy ounces of pure silver, worth many times face value in metal. The large mint mark above Monticello's dome is how you spot one.
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Melt value
$0.00
0 troy oz of pure silver
Metal value only, before any dealer spread. Scarce dates and high grades can be worth much more.
Value at today's silver price
| Amount | Pure silver | Melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 coin | 0.056 oz | — |
| Roll of 40 ($2 face) | 2.25 oz | — |
| $100 face value | 112.52 oz | — |
Melt value is the floor
Melt value is what the metal in a coin is worth: its pure silver content times the spot price. A war nickel holds 0.0563 troy ounces of pure silver, so at $60 an ounce its melt value is $3.38. The calculator above uses today's price instead.
That number is the floor. How close a common, worn war nickel sells to it depends on collector demand. A scarce date, a rare mint mark or a coin in high grade is priced as a collectible, starting from the floor and going up.
| Coin | Years | Metal | Weight | Pure silver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| War nickel | 1942–1945 (large mint mark) | 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese | 5.00 g | 0.0563 oz |
From mid-1942 through 1945 the Mint took nickel out of the five-cent piece to save it for the war, using an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. To mark the change, the mint mark was enlarged and moved above Monticello's dome, where it is easy to spot.
Is yours a valuable one? Check these first
Check the date, the mint mark and the condition against this list. If your coin matches a key date or variety, have it looked at by a dealer who handles collector coins before you sell it for melt.
- Large P, D or S above the dome: This is the silver tell. 1942 nickels without it are copper-nickel.
- 1943-P 3 over 2: Traces of a 2 show under the 3 in the date. Scarce in all grades.
- 1943-P doubled eye: Jefferson's eye shows doubling under magnification. Less rare than the 3/2, still valuable.
- 1945-P doubled die reverse: Doubled lettering on the back; a tripled version shows P/P/P in the mint mark.
Mintages and varieties from APMEX's Jefferson nickel key dates guide. For current collector prices by grade, check the PCGS Price Guide or the NGC Price Guide. Prices for key dates change often and depend heavily on grade.
What dealers typically pay
Dealers price common silver coins off the silver spot price, so the melt figure above is the number to anchor on. Some shops quote per coin, others per $1 of face value. Before you accept, put the offer into the Coin Offer Checker: it shows the metal value and where the offer sits against typical dealer pay. For a key date or a high-grade coin, ask for an offer on the coin as a collectible, not as silver.
Not sure it's silver?
The Is My Coin Silver? checker takes the denomination and year and tells you the metal, the silver content and the melt value. Selling a mix of coins? The silver coin melt value calculator adds up several types at once, and the junk silver calculator works from face value.
Where to sell
Compare coin dealers near you: what each one buys, and what recent customers say about the offers they got. If this coin is part of a larger collection, read how to sell a coin collection first.
Value pages for other coins
Questions
How do I identify a silver war nickel?
Turn it over. War nickels have a large P, D or S above the dome of Monticello; no other Jefferson nickel of the period has a mint mark there.
How much silver is in a war nickel?
A war nickel is 35% silver and holds 0.0563 troy ounces of pure silver, about $3.38 in metal with silver at $60.
Are all 1942 nickels silver?
No. Only 1942 nickels with a large mint mark above the dome are silver. Earlier 1942 nickels are the regular copper-nickel alloy.
Sources: APMEX, Jefferson nickel key dates · CoinWeek, silver content of U.S. coins · U.S. Mint coin specifications (current clad coins) · Coinage Act of 1965. Updated 2026-10-09.