5 Cent Nickels – Jefferson Wartime Nickel, 1942-1945 During
World War II nickel metal was a strategic war material for
munitions, and the supply of the raw material was not sufficient
to satisfy the requirements of both the War Department and the
Mint; and war needs came first. In the search for a replacement
for nickel an issue that was first raised in the transition from
the Liberty Head nickel to the Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel once
again became significant: the coins needed to work in vending
machines. To catch slugs and other fakes, vending machines not
only checked a coin’s weight but also its electrical resistance.
Any substitute for nickel in the five cent coin would need be a
metal in an alloy that met both requirements. Following several
trials, metallurgists discovered that a copper, silver, and
manganese alloy met the weight and electrical specifications.
The new alloy was authorized by the Act of March 27, 1942, and
the first coins were produced in October of that year. Thus,
five cent coins wer