Most people know the rule of thumb for old U.S. silver: dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. But that rule misses a whole layer of coins that still turn up in change jars, desk drawers and estate boxes around Tualatin and the Portland metro. A World War II nickel can hold silver. So can a Kennedy half dated 1968, and so can certain Eisenhower dollars.

These "in-between" coins are easy to overlook because they are not 90% silver. Here is how to spot them, what they actually contain with silver near about $61 an ounce on our site's ticker, and how to sort them before you sell. This is educational information, not financial advice.

The nickel that went to war

In 1942, nickel had become a strategic metal for the war effort. Congress responded in the Second War Powers Act, 1942, which told the Director of the Mint to make five-cent pieces one-half silver and one-half copper, while allowing him to vary the mix and add other metals. According to NGC, the 50/50 version failed in vending machines and turnstiles, so manganese was added to mimic the electromagnetic signature of the old coin. The final wartime alloy was 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese, as PCGS CoinFacts records.

One detail we enjoy: the same law said these coins would count as minor coins, "not silver coins," under the monetary laws, even though roughly a third of the metal was silver. It also anticipated that the coins would be redeemed and melted down after 1946. Many never were.

How to spot a war nickel in seconds

Flip the nickel over and look above the dome of Monticello. The U.S. Mint explains that during the war the mint mark moved from the right of the building to above the dome to signal the new metal, and Philadelphia's "P" appeared on a coin for the first time. So a large P, D or S over the dome is your tell.

• 1943, 1944 and 1945: NGC notes that every Jefferson nickel dated 1943 through 1945 was struck in the wartime alloy.
• 1942 is split: only the 1942-P and 1942-S were made in the wartime alloy. A 1942 nickel with no large mint mark over the dome, or a 1942-D, is the regular copper-nickel coin.
• Color clues: PCGS says worn war nickels take on a greenish cast, and NGC notes that the low-silver alloy tends to tone dark, from golden to slate gray or even black.

The 40% silver half dollar

The Coinage Act of 1965 took silver out of circulating dimes and quarters, but not entirely out of the half dollar. The law set the new half at 11.5 grams, with a cladding of 800 parts silver and 200 parts copper over a silver-copper core, for a total of 4.6 grams of silver per coin. That works out to 40% silver.

Those 40% halves carry dates from 1965 through 1970. PCGS notes that no 1970 halves were made for circulation; that year exists only in mint and proof sets. The U.S. Mint says silver was removed from the half dollar in 1971, when it became copper-nickel clad.

A tip for anyone with a good gram scale: the Mint lists today's copper-nickel half at 11.34 grams, versus 11.5 grams for the 1965 to 1970 silver version. That small difference can help confirm a coin, but the date is the faster check.

Silver Ikes and Bicentennial sets

A law signed December 31, 1970 authorized up to 150 million silver-clad Eisenhower dollars, each weighing 24.592 grams and containing 9.837 grams of silver, again about 40%. As Q. David Bowers writes in a PCGS reference, the 40% silver Ikes were sold to collectors in uncirculated "blue" envelopes and proof "brown" boxes. Collector price guides list these as 1971-S through 1974-S. The everyday Ike dollars that circulated were copper-nickel clad with no silver.

Then came the Bicentennial. Public Law 93-127 ordered 45 million silver-clad Bicentennial coins and said they could be sold only as proof or uncirculated coins. The U.S. Mint's 1976 press release describes them as 40% silver, sold in three-piece sets of the quarter, half and dollar dated 1776-1976. A Bicentennial quarter from your pocket change is copper-nickel; the silver ones came from those sets.

What they hold at today's price

Melt value is pure silver content times the spot price. With our ticker showing silver near about $61 an ounce:

• War nickel: 35% of a 5-gram coin is 1.75 grams of silver, or about 0.056 troy ounces. That is roughly $3.40 of silver in a five-cent piece, and a 40-coin roll holds around $137 in melt.
• 40% half dollar: 4.6 grams of silver, or about 0.148 troy ounces, roughly $9 per coin. A 20-coin roll works out near $180 in melt.
• 40% silver Ike: 9.837 grams, or about 0.316 troy ounces, roughly $19 in silver.

Melt value is not a shop's buy price, since every dealer has to account for handling, refining and price risk. Our guide on how coin shops price buybacks explains that gap. PCGS notes that war nickel mintages were so high that melting has had little effect on their value. In our view, that makes common circulated pieces mostly a silver story, while sharp uncirculated coins or known varieties deserve a second look.

Our take (opinion): sort first, then sell

In our view, the most common mistake is tossing everything old into one bag. We suggest four piles:

• 90% silver: dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 or earlier. Our junk silver guide covers that category.
• 40% silver: 1965 to 1970 halves, plus any silver Ikes or Bicentennial set coins still in their packaging.
• 35% silver: war nickels with the big mint mark over the dome.
• Everything else: clad coins, which are worth face value unless something about them is unusual.

Don't scrub or polish toned coins; our post on why silver tarnishes explains why. Keep mint packaging intact. If the coins came from a parent's estate, our guide to inherited estate coins and our numismatic or bullion explainer can help you decide what deserves a closer look.

Bring your change jar to Tualatin

Local Coin Company buys coin collections along with gold, silver and jewelry, and we stock U.S. coinage. Current silver prices are on our silver page. We are at 19354 SW Boones Ferry Rd., Tualatin, OR 97062. Our normal trading hours are Monday through Friday 8 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 3 PM. Appointments have priority, so call 503-855-5255 to schedule, and see our coin shop visit checklist for what to bring.

Sources: Second War Powers Act, 1942, Title XII (56 Stat. 176); Coinage Act of 1965, Public Law 89-81; Public Law 91-607 (1970); Public Law 93-127 (1973); U.S. Mint nickel and half dollar program pages and June 29, 1976 Bicentennial press release; PCGS CoinFacts, wartime nickels and 40% silver Kennedy halves; Q. David Bowers via PCGS, 1971-S silver Eisenhower dollar; NGC, wartime silver nickels; Stack's Bowers, wartime nickel specifications; localcoinco.com prices as of October 11, 2026.