1942-P Jefferson Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 57,873,000 made
- Mintage
- 57,873,000
- Metal
- 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.21 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1942-P Jefferson Nickel worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0563 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full steps on Monticello (5FS or 6FS)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1942-P Jefferson Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 58 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1942-P Jefferson Nickel silver?
- Yes. It's 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese and holds 0.0563 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1942 Jefferson Nickel?
- Large mint mark above the dome of Monticello on the reverse, including a "P" for Philadelphia, the first ever used. A large mint mark means a 35% silver war nickel. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1942 are scarcer?
- The 1938 at 19,496,000, the 1942 at 49,789,000. So the 1942-P is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1942-P Jefferson Nickel coins were made?
- 57,873,000.
What to check on your 1942-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1942-D (14 million made).
- Look above Monticello. Wartime nickels struck in the silver alloy carry a large P or S mint mark over the dome; 1942 nickels without it are the regular copper-nickel alloy.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1942 Jefferson Nickel Proof (29,600 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. The steps of Monticello are the key: coins with 5 or 6 full steps (5FS / 6FS) sell for large premiums. On the obverse, check Jefferson's cheekbone and hair.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1942-P
Philadelphia made 57,873,000 in 1942, up from 50 million in 1942. In 1943 the figure was 271 million.
1942-D came to 14 million and 1942-S came to 33 million and 1942 came to 50 million, so neither mint's 1942 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 64 Jefferson Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1955 with 7,888,000 made. The 1942-P is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1940s it's 20th smallest of 31, between the 1941-D (53 million) and the 1945-S (59 million).
It also marks a change of metal: 1942 is the first year of the Jefferson Nickel in 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese, which lasted until 1945.
Wartime silver nickels (1942 to 1945)
Nickel was needed for the war, so in late 1942 the Mint switched to an alloy of 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver and 9 percent manganese. To show the change, a large mint mark was placed above Monticello. For the first time Philadelphia used a P. Early 1942 nickels in the old alloy have the mint mark to the right of the building.
The 1943/2-P overdate and the 1943-P doubled eye variety are popular. Many silver nickels were pulled from circulation and melted in later decades when silver rose, but they remain easy to find. Counterfeits dated 1944 without a mint mark were made by Francis Henning, so any 1944 nickel without a P, D or S above the dome is fake. Survivors often show dark or uneven toning from the manganese. Fully struck steps are scarce on several dates.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1942
Nickel was needed for the war, so from October 1942 the five-cent coin was struck in an alloy of copper, silver and manganese. These war nickels carry a large mint mark above Monticello, the first use of a "P" mint mark.
How to recognize it
Felix Schlag's portrait shows Thomas Jefferson facing left with IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and the date. The reverse shows the front of Monticello, Jefferson's home, with MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS below. The mint mark was to the right of the building until 1964 (above the dome on wartime silver nickels) and moved to the obverse, near the date, in 1968. Schlag's initials FS were added below the bust in 1966.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Jefferson Nickel (1938–2003) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 57,873,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Silver content | 0.0563 troy oz (1.750 g) |
| Designer | Felix Schlag |
Other 1942 Jefferson Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Jefferson Nickel | 49,789,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1942-P Jefferson Nickel | 57,873,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0563 oz |
| 1942 Jefferson Nickel Proof | 29,600 | Proof | – |
| 1942-P Jefferson Nickel Proof | 27,600 | Proof | 0.0563 oz |
| 1942-D Jefferson Nickel | 13,938,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1942-S Jefferson Nickel | 32,900,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0563 oz |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.