I recently bought a few old coins in a bulk auction on eBay. One thing that appealed to me was that I saw a 1942 Jefferson nickel in it. As I had heard about the silver nickels, I thought it would be neat to own one. But I see no large mintmark on the back. Is there any other way to tell whether or not it is a silver nickel? Could I possibly have an error coin? I'm new to this field, so I appreciate any help I can get! Thanks!
It was Oct. 8, 1942 when the Mint switched to the war-time composition on the nickel, with a larger than normal mintmark P above the dome of Monticello to indicate the switch of alloy used. It's possible you have a pre October struck Jefferson if there is no large P on the reverse.
Thanks very much-I'm not disappointed, though. Like I said, I am new to this, but as a history teacher I am really enjoying getting into numismatics! I'm 30 years old, and I can't believe I am just finding this!
