1943 Nickels Are Silver & Worth A Lot Of Money! (Some Are Worth $15,000+)
The 1943 Jefferson nickel is made from silver, and it’s becoming scarce in pocket change.
So…
How can you tell a 1943 silver nickel from regular nickels?
And how much are 1943 Jefferson nickels worth?
Regular Nickels vs. Silver Nickels
Like all 1943 coins, the Jefferson nickels from that year are both highly collectible and considered historic relics from the past.
Why were 1943 Jefferson nickels made from valuable silver?
With the United States engaged in World War II, the nation needed to ration important materials and resources for the war effort overseas in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Nickel was important for producing artillery — so the United States government permitted the mint to swap out the 75% copper / 25% nickel composition for a special alloy made from 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese.
The silver wartime alloy was first used to make 1942 nickels and continued through 1945 — the year World War II ended.
Silver nickels are easily distinguishable from regular nickels.
All you need to do to see if you’ve got a silver war nickel is to flip the coin over to the reverse (tails side). All silver war nickels have a large mintmark over the dome of Monticello indicating whether the coin was minted at the Philadelphia Mint (P), Denver Mint (D), or San Francisco Mint (S).
While all 1943 nickels are made from silver, it nevertheless helps to look for the mintmark — which can be easier to spot on silver nickels than the date, which is small and located on the obverse (heads side).
How Much Is A 1943 Nickel Worth?
So, 1943 Jefferson nickels are worth more than face value, but exactly how much more are these old silver coins worth?
Let’s take a look…
1943-P Nickel Value
The 1943-P Jefferson nickel had the highest output of all 1943 silver nickels, with a mintage of 271,165,000 pieces.
While all war nickels are relatively scarce, the 1943-P silver nickels are the most common of the date. It’s possible to find 1943 nickels in circulation, something often made easier by searching nickel rolls.
The record price for the 1943-P nickel is $16,675.50 — which is the amount paid for a specimen graded by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) as MS68 with Full Steps details.
PCGS has an estimated price of grading 69 at $48,500.

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