I have a 1942 nickel with no mint mark is that normal I thought that was the first year they started using the P mint mark
Hi bruiser! 1942 was a partial year. Some were silver some weren't So if you don't see the Big mint mark above Monticello then there is no silver. The U.S. Mint issued two compositions of the nickel in 1942. The copper-nickel composition used today and the 35% silver composition listed here. World War II prompted the rationing of many commodities. Nickel was highly valued for use in armor plating, and Congress ordered the removal of this metal from the five-cent piece, effective October 8, 1942<----. From that date, and lasting through the end of 1945, five-cent pieces bore the regular design but were minted from an alloy of copper, silver and manganese. It was anticipated that these emergency coins would be withdrawn from circulation after the war, so a prominent distinguishing feature was added. Coins from all three mints bore very large mintmarks above the dome of Monticello, and the letter 'P' was used as a mintmark for the first time on a U. S. coin. -Taken from Coinflation
According to the Red Book, 49,789,000 were minted without a mint mark then on Oct. 8th 1942 they started with the wartime silver alloy minting 57,873,000 "P" minted nickels. *edit TypicalCreepahx beat me to it*
Yes, it is the first year they used the large P MM (over the dome), but it was also the last year they made the smaller MM beside Monticello or at least those of Philadelphia and Denver. In other words, they made 4 different MM that year - no and big for Philadelphia, Small Denver and the large S.
Wasn't there counterfeit 1942 nickels out also without the letter "p" on top of Monticello? Or was it the 1943?
