This is not a Mint error, it's a novelty coin that has no collectible value.
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper and no nickel.
Assuming you have a penny dated after 1982, it's actually made out of zinc -- it's just missing its outer copper layer. It has a retail value of a couple of dollars. If it's dated 1943, you have a standard "wartime" cent struck (btw, not "stamped") in steel to conserve copper for the war effort. Unless the coin is in like-new condition, it'll be worth 50¢ to $1.
NICKEL, not "nickle" And not a 1932 cent, either. All wheat cents except for 1943 steel "war pennies" were made of bronze, an alloy of 95% copper and 5% tin/zinc. If your coin is silvery in color it's almost certainly been plated for use in jewelry or similar. That makes it a damaged coin with no collector value.
I believe your referring to the 1942 - 1945 Silver Jefferson Nickel(Wartime Nickel) which is a total weight of 5 grams and consists of 35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese. $1.60 is the total melt value for the 1942-1945 silver nickel on August 10, 2012 using current spot prices. You can find price information on any U.S. coin at coinflation.com You can also find current spot prices of metals at kitco.com
The penny was originally made of pure copper, then bronze (95% copper). However, the value of the copper in a penny eventually became more than the value of a penny. Therefore, they started making the penny out of zinc and coating it with copper because people were used to copper pennies. Second, cents and dimes are nearly the same size, so most people distinguish them by color. When zinc-plated steel cents were made during WWII people confused them with dimes because they had a similar silvery appearance. A pure zinc coin would have the same problem. Finally, zinc can be poisonous in high doses and is more easily absorbed than copper, so if a child were to swallow a pure zinc coin it would be more dangerous.
The coin is 75% copper and 25% nickel, so the coin is likely face value the date is still in circulation.
There are no British general circulation Pennies made from cupro nickel, from 1860 to 1967 they were all made from bronze. If you have a cupro nickel penny, it has been plated and is worthless as a collectible.
A Buffalo Nickel stamped on a penny is worth $800.00. A Jefferson Nickel stamped on a ZN penny is worth $70.00. A Jefferson Nickel stamped on a CU penny is worth $60.00.
size and value
Please turn the coin over and check the value on the back. You'll find it's a cent (penny) rather than a nickel. You may be confusing the denomination with the fact that these coins were struck in an alloy of copper and the metal nickel.There's more information at the Related Question.
Two cents for the copper.
The value for a 1951 copper cent is worth about $0.10 to $4 depending on the condtition.
It's worth 2 cents for the copper content.
A 1914 penny with no mint mark is worth about $1.50.
Average value is 3 to 5 cents
Average value is 3 to 5 cents
A 1941 copper penny is relatively common and does not have significant numismatic value. The value of a 1941 copper penny is primarily based on its metal content, which is worth less than a cent. However, if the penny is in exceptional condition or has certain rare characteristics, it may have a higher value to collectors.