1943 S Jefferson Nickel B1

This is another common issue, as all of the wartime nickels were hoarded by the roll. 1943 S nickels are noticeably superior in overall quality to S-Mint nickels of the previous several years. Full strikes may be found with a bit of shopping, and full-step coins are likewise available to the advanced collector.

The small number of prooflike nickels for this date and other San Francisco nickels of the 1940s resulted from that mint's practice of using dies until they were quite worn and then buffing out the flowlines with abrasive polishing. This left the fields brilliant but hairlined, and even the devices are sometimes brilliant.

Several doubled-die and repunched mintmark varieties are noted for 1943 S, none of them particularly exciting. Interested persons should consult two books for more information: The Best of the Jefferson Nickel Doubled Die Varieties by John Wexler and Brian Ribar, and The Jefferson Nickel RPM Book by James Wiles.