A 1946 nickel is not a silver nickel. Silver wartime nickels were minted from 1942 to 1945. Production of silver wartime nickels stopped after 1945.
The only way a 1946 nickel will be a silver nickel is if it was accidentally struck on a wartime silver planchet. You are staring at an extremely rare situation, and finding a 1946 silver nickel is nearly impossible, but not entirely impossible.
How Can You Tell if a 1946 Nickel is Silver?
Thus, if you believe that you are in possession of a 1946 nickel that you think is a silver nickel, there are a few things you can do to verify that.
Here is what you can do:
Specific gravity test
This method is quite scientific in nature. You need the right setup and the know-how of the testing method. The specific gravity of silver wartime nickel will be different from the usual copper-nickel alloy-based nickel.
Make-shift ring test
This is also known as the tissue paper test, and it is usually used by noobs. It is a known fact that silver reflects more light compared to copper-nickel. Thus, the test involves placing tissue paper on two coins placed side-by-side. Since silver will reflect more like, the silver nickel will show through a white circle while the copper-nickel coin will show through a dark circle.
However, do understand that this ring test is not very solid proof! There are many factors that can distort the result including the location of the test, the light source, the thickness of the tissue paper, and so on.
In fact, this method is not an official testing method.
Other tests
Trying to perform a weight test will give no results because all nickels (wartime or plain copper-nickel nickels) have the exact same weight – 5 grams! They also have the same diameter of 21.2mm.
Users in certain forums may also ask you to conduct drop tests on the premise that a wartime nickel will generate a different sound compared to a regular nickel. Even if there is any scientific base to this claim, there are a number of problems including (but not limited to):
- Different surface materials will generate different sounds.
- The height from which the coin is dropped will also impact the sound.
- The angle at which the coin lands on the surface will also impact the sound.
Since the makeshift tests do not have enough scientific basis, the best way to approach this problem is to have the coin officially tested by some authoritative coin testing body such as NGC Coin.
How Can You Know if Your Nickel is Silver?
Wartime nickels or simply silver nickels were minted from 1942 to 1945. The best way to tell whether your nickel is silver or not is to look at the mint year. You can find it on the obverse.
The alternative method you can use is to check for the mint mark. Only the wartime nickels carry the mint mark on the reverse. The mark can be found right on top of Monticello.
Is a 1946 Nickel Worth Anything?
The value of a 1946 Jefferson Nickel depends on its condition. The table below provides the necessary details:
| Very Fine-20 | $0.25 |
|---|---|
| Extremely Fine-40 | $0.30 |
| About Uncirculated-50 | $0.35 |
| Uncirculated (MS-60) | $0.76 |
| Uncirculated (MS-65) | Up to $15 |
What Year Nickel is Pure Silver?
There are no pure silver nickels. Wartime nickels, which are also commonly referred to as silver nickels are made of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. The weight of a wartime nickel is the same as any other Jefferson nickel.
The silver nickel or the wartime nickel has a large mint mark on the reverse. The purpose of the large mint mark was to make it easy for clerks to distinguish them as the Treasury had plans to withdraw them from the market after the war.
Is Cupronickel Silver?
No, the cupronickel is not silver even though it is silver in color. The cupronickel coin is made of 75% copper and 25% nickel with trace amounts of other materials like manganese and iron to strengthen the coin. Silver is not used in cupronickel nickels.
What’s the Value of 1945-S Nickel?
The 1945-S nickel had a mintage of 58,939,000. Though it was minted in high numbers, it was also widely hoarded. Still, the nickel doesn’t hold much value unless you have one with MS-68 grading.
Here is a quick table for the value of a 1945-S nickel:
| G | $1.25 |
|---|---|
| VG | $1.30 |
| F | $1.45 |
| VF | $1.80 |
| XF | $2 |
| MS-50 | $2.25 |
| MS-53 | $2.50 |
| MS-55 | $2.70 |
| MS-58 | $3 |
| MS-60 | $3.75 |
| MS-61 | $4 |
| MS-62 | $5 |
| MS-63 | $7.50 |
| MS-64 | $20 |
| MS-65 | $25 |
| MS-66 | $35 |
| MS-67 | $95 |
| MS-68 | $1,650 |
What US Nickels are Silver?
All US nickels minted from mid-1942 to 1945 have 35% silver. They are specially referred to as Wartime Nickels or simply, silver nickels. No US nickels are 100% silver.
What is a 1942 S Nickel Worth?
In VF (very fine) condition, a 1942 S nickel is worth $2.50 approximately. In XF (extremely fine) condition, its value is nearly $3. In the uncirculated (MS-60) condition, it has a value of around $7. With MS-65 condition, it is worth around $25.
Does a 1948 Nickel Have a Mint Mark?
Yes, a 1948 Jefferson nickel has a mint mark on the reverse. The mint mark is located on the extreme right end of the Monticello. However, it is also possible to find a 1948 nickel with no mint mark on the reverse.
Where is the Mint Mark on a 1946 Nickel?
A 1946 Jefferson nickel will have the mint mark on the reverse on the extreme right end of Monticello. However, the Philadelphia mint did not place the mint mark as opposed to the Denver and San Francisco mints. So, if you have a 1946 nickel with no mint mark, you can rest assured that the coin was minted in Philadelphia.
Sources
- Student Information. Tom’s Coin Page. http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~tjw/coins.html
- Newman Numismatic Portal at Washington University in St. Louis | Comprehensive Research & Reference for U.S. Coinage. Library Search. https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/AdvancedSearch?&fullsearchterm=jefferson%20nickel&contenttype=Periodical
