Wartime Nickels

Because the metals used to produce 5¢ coins was needed for World War II, the US Mint changed the coin's composition from 75% copper and 25% nickel to 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese.  The design for the new Nickels pictured the same image that was in use since 1938.  The "heads" side pictures Thomas Jefferson in profile while the "tails" side pictures his famous home, Monticello.  The design was chosen in a Treasury Department contest held in 1937, won by Felix Schlag.  The first Wartime Nickel coins were struck in mid-1942.  The size of the mintmark was increased on the new coins and placed above the dome of Monticello.  Coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint contained a large "P," making them the first US coins with that mint mark.  Wartime Nickels were produced through December 1945.  This marked the ned of the only time in US history that Nickels were made with silver.