1945-S Wartime Silver

San Francisco's 1945 Wartime Silver Jefferson nickel mintage was 58,939,000 coins, the highest San Francisco Wartime Silver total and the terminal year of the program at that facility. The coin is common in all grades and readily available in Mint State. Strike characteristics are generally strong for 1945 San Francisco production, and Full Steps examples exist in adequate numbers for specialist demand.

Collectors building complete Wartime Silver sets acquire the 1945-S as the final piece in the eleven-coin sub-series (1942-P, 1942-S, 1943-P/D/S, 1944-P/D/S, 1945-P/D/S). Together, the eleven Wartime Silver issues document the composition change from start to finish and represent one of the most distinctive sub-series in American nickel coinage.

The 1945-S was produced during the final months of World War II and the immediate postwar period. San Francisco's role in Pacific operations continued through the Japanese surrender in August and the subsequent occupation and reconstruction efforts. The Wartime Silver nickels struck that year circulated through a city adjusting from total war to peacetime while continuing to serve as a major Pacific transit point for returning troops and postwar supplies.