During WWII special "war nickels" were made from an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. The composition was changed because nickel metal was needed for the war effort. War nickels were minted from late 1942 to 1945 and can be identified by a large mint mark letter over the dome of Monticello on the back.
All US other US nickels, regardless of date, are made of an alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper.
stop using silver in nickels
1964 was the last date for 90% silver quarters and dimes. The composition was changed to copper-nickel in 1965, when the price of silver soared over the face value of the coins. Note that halves were made out of 40% silver for 6 more years. Also, contrary to popular myth, pre-1965 nickels were NOT made of silver, except for the famous war nickels made during 1942-45.
The only U.S. nickels to contain any silver are dated 1942-1945, and can be identified by the large mint mark above Monticello. All nickels before and after are the same nickel/copper blend still used today.
Many people are confused by when US nickels contained silver. The only US nickels that contained any silver were special "war nickels" made from late 1942 to 1945. All other US nickels dating back to the coin's introduction in 1866 are made of the same alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper.War nickels were made of an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese because nickel metal was needed for the war effort. These coins are distinguished by a large mint mark letter over the dome of Monticello on the back.
The U.S. stopped minting silver half-dimes in 1873, a few years after the introduction of the nickel. The only nickels that actually contain silver are "war" nickels minted 1942-1945.
stop using silver in nickels
1964 was the last date for 90% silver quarters and dimes. The composition was changed to copper-nickel in 1965, when the price of silver soared over the face value of the coins. Note that halves were made out of 40% silver for 6 more years. Also, contrary to popular myth, pre-1965 nickels were NOT made of silver, except for the famous war nickels made during 1942-45.
The only U.S. nickels to contain any silver are dated 1942-1945, and can be identified by the large mint mark above Monticello. All nickels before and after are the same nickel/copper blend still used today.
1964
Many people are confused by when US nickels contained silver. The only US nickels that contained any silver were special "war nickels" made from late 1942 to 1945. All other US nickels dating back to the coin's introduction in 1866 are made of the same alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper.War nickels were made of an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese because nickel metal was needed for the war effort. These coins are distinguished by a large mint mark letter over the dome of Monticello on the back.
The U.S. stopped minting silver half-dimes in 1873, a few years after the introduction of the nickel. The only nickels that actually contain silver are "war" nickels minted 1942-1945.
Silver was only used in nickels from 1942-1945 on coins with a large mintmark over the Monticello (some nickels in 1942 do not have the large mintmark and are of the standard composition), these coins are 35% silver. All other nickels are 75% copper and 25% nickel.
Many people believe that US nickels were once made from silver, like dimes and quarters were, however since its introduction in 1866 nearly all US nickels have been made of a copper-nickel alloy; hence the name "nickel". The nickel did briefly contain a small amount of silver during World War II because nickel was considered a "strategic metal". During this time it was composed of an alloy of copper, silver, and manganese.
The only nickels that ever contained silver were special "war nickels" minted from late 1942 to 1945. They were made of an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese due to wartime metal shortages, and can be identified by a large mint mark letter over the dome of Monticello on the back. ALL other US nickels, regardless of date, have been made using an alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper. At one time both the US and Canada minted 5-cent pieces with a high silver content but they weren't called nickels; that term didn't come into use until the coins' compositions were changed. The US half-dime coin was made from 1794 to 1873, while its Canadian counterpart was made from 1858 to 1921.
1935 was the last year for the one dollar silver coin.
The last year for silver U.S. dimes was 1964.
In 1965.