A 1945-P silver war nickel recently certified by CAC combines two distinct production flaws on one coin: the well-known FS-801 doubled die reverse, and a separate 5% curved clip. CAC graded the piece MS63 and recorded its weight at 4.75 grams — a normal 1945-P war nickel weighs 5.00 grams, confirming the missing metal from the clip.
What the FS-801 Doubled Die Looks Like
The doubling shows up on the reverse, most clearly at the end of MONTICELLO and in CENTS. It’s one of the recognized major varieties in the Jefferson series and has been catalogued for decades, so it’s a known target for anyone checking a war nickel collection — not a fresh discovery, but a confirmed and desirable variety.
Why This Coin Is a Silver Nickel in the First Place
Nickel became a wartime strategic metal, needed for armor plate and other military uses. Congress authorized the Mint to pull nickel from the five-cent coin, and the Mint settled on an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese — the manganese kept the coins working properly in vending machines calibrated for the older copper-nickel pieces. Production of the silver alloy started in late 1942, so not every 1942 nickel is a war nickel — Philadelphia and Denver struck standard copper-nickel pieces earlier that year before the switch.
How to Check Your Own War Nickels
- Composition years: 1942 (partial year) through 1945, all mints
- Mint mark location: large mint mark above Monticello — a deliberate wartime design change so the silver coins could be pulled from circulation after the war
- Where to look for doubling: the reverse, specifically the lettering around MONTICELLO and CENTS
- Weight check: a standard war nickel weighs 5.00 grams; anything noticeably under that may indicate a clip error like this one
What FS-801 Doubled Dies Have Sold For
Recorded auction results for this variety, by grade:
| Grade | Price | Date |
|---|---|---|
| VF-20 | $30 | 5/14/2013 |
| MS64 | $204 | 7/8/2025 |
| MS65 | $336 | 7/2/2024 |
| MS66 | $360–$1,645 | 2013–2018 |
| MS67 | $1,020–$1,560 | 2018–2019 |
Grade drives value heavily here — the gap between a circulated VF-20 and a top-pop MS67 is enormous. Current melt value alone on any war nickel sits around $3.30–$3.70 based on today’s silver price, so even a low-grade example is worth more than face value regardless of the variety.
Bottom Line for Coin Roll Hunters
War nickels are already worth pulling from circulation for melt value alone. A confirmed FS-801 doubled die pushes a coin well past that — and a second error like this clip makes it a genuinely unusual find. Check the reverse lettering and weigh anything that feels light.