[Onelifetogive]

Is this article saying to buy current-issue nickels or silver nickels from the pre-junk coin era?

Nickels were never silver, always nickel. Hence, larger than the silver dime for half the value (a less valuable metal.)

[Altura Ct.]

Nickels were never silver, always nickel.

Not totally true. 'Wartime nickles' minted 42-45 are 35% silver.

[blam]

1942 - 1945 Silver Jefferson Nickel Value (United States)

35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese
Total Weight: 5.00 grams

Comments: World War II prompted the rationing of many commodities. Nickel was highly valued for use in armor plating, and Congress ordered the removal of this metal from the five-cent piece, effective October 8, 1942. From that date, and lasting through the end of 1945, five-cent pieces bore the regular design but were minted from an alloy of copper, silver and manganese. It was anticipated that these emergency coins would be withdrawn from circulation after the war, so a prominent distinguishing feature was added. Coins from all three mints bore very large mintmarks above the dome of Monticello, and the letter 'P' was used as a mintmark for the first time on a U. S. coin. [ ? ]

[matthew fuller]

"Nickels were never silver, always nickel. Hence, larger than the silver dime for half the value (a less valuable metal.) "

Silver "War" Nickels 1942 - 1945 Silver "War" nickels were produced by the United States from mid-1942* through 1945. The coins were manufactured from 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. This allowed the saved nickel metal to be shifted to industrial production of miltary supplies during World War II. Silver nickels are distinguised by a slightly different coloration than ordinary nickels and by the appearance of a large mintmark above Monticello's dome on the reverse side of the coin. The marks are "S" for the San Fransico mint, "D" for the Denver mint and "P' to indicate production at the Philadelphia mint, being the first coin to feature the Philadelphia intial, as no mint mark was the usual designation for Philadelphia mintage before 1979.

www.warnickels.com

[Ancesthntr]

Nickels were never silver, always nickel. Hence, larger than the silver dime for half the value (a less valuable metal.

Not true, nickels from sometime in 1942-1945 had 35% silver. The so-called "war nickels" are worth about $1.70 right now. Good luck finding one in change - probably 99.9999% of them have been removed from circulation.

However, despite the fact that there were SOME part-silver nickels produced, that's not what the article is about. It is about the common, ordinary nickel, the melt value of which is now about 7.3 cents. Unlike every other coin out there, ALL nickels in circulation are currently worth more as metal than as currency. This is equivalent to getting rolls of dimes, quarters or halves in late 1964, when ALL of them previously made were 90% silver. The article is saying to start collecting them NOW, since the composition is likely to change in the not-so-distant future to something worth considerably less, in the same way that all other coins have in the past.