I have four Jefferson Nickels I would like to know a little more about if anyone has any time to share some info with me. I have had these for about 25 years and I just recently saw some that were worth quite a bit of money. If you can help me out that would be great! Thanks.
They're circulated war nickels containing 35% silver. Unfortunately, they're also not worth quite a bit of money, but are certainly more than face. Welcome to the forum.
Coinflation: 1942-1945-Silver-War-Nickel-Value Try out the value calculator at the link above, too: Coinflation.com - Silver_calculator Wiki - Jefferson_nickel
There are not any truly rare "War Nickels", some are a little scarcer than others, but in circulated condition they do not command a premium. The 43-D and 44-S are not as common, but not pricey, either. 1942-P Silver 57,873,000 1942-S Silver 32,900,000 1943-P Silver 271,165,000 1943-D Silver 15,294,000 1943-S Silver 104,060,000 1944-P Silver 119,150,000 1944-D Silver 32,309,000 1944-S Silver 21,640,000 1945-P Silver 119,408,100 1945-D Silver 37,158,000 1945-S Silver 58,939,000
There are a few hard to find varieties in the war nickels but you first need to have a keen eye and a guide to go by. These include the 1943/2P, 1943P doubled eye, and 1945P doubled die reverse. There are also lamination errors out there, in fact I just found one while going back through one of my older folders that I had put away 25 years ago. So by all means, do double check your coins before you assume they are all common.
Unfortunately, these war nickels are only worth the scrap value. They are made of 35% silver. There is 0.0563 troy ounces of silver in each nickel. Silver which is currently $14.10 per ounce. That means each war nickel is worth about $0.79. So for your four war nickels the total value is around $3.16. They are a good start though. Welcome to the forum.
Personally I think Jefferson Nickels are long term investments if purchased as BU(Brilliant Uncirculated). You will find collecting Jefferson Nickels to include both Proofs, Business and Error strikes starting in 1938 though today and a good learning tool. A complete set of BU Jeffersons including proofs can be purchased from $400 - $800 and up based upon errors and condition. Great for current day collectors with limited budgets. Unfortunately all the coins you have displayed are circulated Jefferson War Nickels and are of little value based upon their condition.
I like the mintmarks on war nickels (P, D, S). Big & bold. Very distinctive -- unlike typical tiny mintmarks. And I believe no other U.S. coin has a 'P' mintmark. In the 60's I collected war nickels from pocket change. Still have 'em. Sentimental favorite.
Jonny5, first, welcome to CT it's a great place to get values of coins, get questions answered by the experts (not me) and any other thing you could think of with coins. You have some good 35% silver nickels there but in great condition at all. Maybe a little over face value, I think?
Yes, as stated above by @tommyc03 & @tpsadler always check for possible errors on coins, irregularities, oddities or anomalies. Most are common but you might get lucky. I too have pulled out my old Whitman folders from 40/45 years ago and have found some valid errors. If you think you found something but are not 100% sure, take a good picture of it and post it. Here's one I found a few years ago. Although the condition sucks, it probably wasn't worth getting graded. Welcome to the club!
Recently picked up a 1974 proof set and the reverse looks as though as it has 6 full steps, I am not expert, so I thought the collectors who specialize in this type of coin can tell me if I am right or wrong. Hope the pictures are clear enough.
The photos I see here are a little blurry to me. Basically look like 6 Steps but nicks, blends and scratches can alter this opinion. I just call not see them with enough definition. A good discussion is available on Coin Talk look at this section https://www.cointalk.com/threads/th...erson-nickels-defined-photographically.49827/ Good Luck
My photos don't show it, but each line and step is very clear and concise with no breaks or nicks. I suppose my camera just isn't good enough. LOL.
Full steps only applies to mint state nickels, not proofs. Proof nickels for the most part should be full steps because of the proof strike. MS nickels are massed produced in the millions. That said the quality pays.
