Lot 444
1943 Jefferson War Nickels Philadelphia
Sold December 12, 2025
- Price realized
- $34
Price realized is the winning bid (hammer price) and excludes buyer’s premium.
About this lot
Estimated Value: $80-200
Origin: United States
Denomination: Five Cents
Year: 1943
Mint: Philadelphia
Grade/Condition: Various Conditions
Metal: Silver
Weight (+/- 0.2g): Total: 97.1 Grams
Additional Description: The 1943 Jefferson nickel from the Philadelphia Mint is one of the notable “War Nickels” struck between 1942 and 1945, a brief but fascinating chapter in American coinage. With nickel metal reserved for wartime production, the Mint altered the coin’s composition to 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver, and 9 percent manganese. This alloy gave the coins a distinctive pale luster and made them lighter in hand, while ensuring that critical resources could be redirected to the war effort. The familiar portrait of Thomas Jefferson, designed by Felix Schlag, remains on the obverse, dignified and calm, while the reverse continues to show Monticello, his Virginia home. To mark the change in composition, a large mintmark was placed above the dome of Monticello; an innovation never before used on U.S. coinage. On the 1943 Philadelphia issue, this appears as a prominent “P,” the first time that mintmark had ever been used on an American coin. Beyond their silver content, these coins carry deep historical resonance. The 1943 Philadelphia War Nickel stands as both a piece of practical wartime adaptation and a symbol of national resourcefulness, linking everyday commerce to the broader story of a nation at war.
Lot details
- Lot
- 444
- Auction
- Gold and Silver Showcase
- Closed
- December 12, 2025
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