1945-S Silver Jefferson Nickel Value
Mintage: 58,939,000
Finest Known: MS68+ (NGC) MS68 (PCGS)
Auction Record: $8,625 (MS68)
The 1945-S was the last 35% silver “war nickel” coined at the San Francisco Mint. Many of the nearly 59 million struck were hoarded at the time.
1945-S wartime Jefferson nickel. Image: USA CoinBook
The Value of A 1945-S Silver Jefferson Nickel
The soft quality of the silver alloy blanks were able to better catch the details from the often worn-out dies used in San Francisco, compared to the normal 75% copper, 25% nickel coin blanks. The San Francisco Mint would often polish coin dies until the fine details had been buffed away, to extend their service life.
The most plentiful uncirculated grades authenticated by NGC and PCGS are MS66, with more than 9,000 graded. This explains the low price that MS65 examples sell for. In contrast, high-grade Full Steps coins command impressive prices when compared to other “war nickels.”
1945-S Silver Jefferson Nickel Price Guide
| Very Fine | Extremely Fine | About Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|
| $2 | $2 | $3 |
| Mint State 61 | Mint State 63 | Mint State 65 | Auction Record (MS68) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $6 | $12 | $25 | $8,625 |
1945-S Full Steps Silver Jefferson Nickel Price Guide
Finest Known: MS67 FS (NGC) MS67 FS (PCGS)
Auction Record: $10,693 (MS67 FS)
| Mint State 61 FS | Mint State 63 FS | Mint State 65 FS | Auction Record (MS67 FS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $12 | $42 | $375 | $10,693 |
The information on this page does not constitute an offer to buy or sell the coin(s) referred to. Proof and prooflike examples of this issue may have greater or lesser "finest known" and different record auction prices.