35% Silver War Nickels $1 Face Value Avg Circ

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During the critical years of 1942 to 1945, the United States Mint altered the composition of its five-cent piece to conserve nickel for the war effort. This emergency measure resulted in a unique alloy containing 35 percent silver. These circulating coins serve as a direct link to the domestic front lines of resource conservation during World War II. Beyond their metallic composition, these wartime nickels hold a special place in numismatic history. For the very first time on any United States coin, the letter P was utilized as a mint mark to denote production at the Philadelphia facility. The obverse features the familiar profile of Thomas Jefferson alongside the inscriptions of LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. The reverse displays his Virginia home, Monticello, surrounded by E PLURIBUS UNUM, FIVE CENTS, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.