were nickels ever made of silver

[BlakelyAnn]

Yes, United States nickels were made with silver for a brief period during World War II. These special coins are often referred to as "war nickels."

From mid-1942 through 1945, the composition of the Jefferson nickel was changed to conserve the metal nickel, which was a critical material for the war effort, particularly for armor plating. To replace the standard 75% copper and 25% nickel alloy, the U.S. Mint produced nickels with a composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese.

You can identify these silver "war nickels" by checking the date and looking for a large mint mark on the reverse side of the coin. The mint mark (P for Philadelphia, D for Denver, or S for San Francisco) was placed prominently above the dome of Monticello. This was the first time a "P" mint mark was used on a U.S. coin. Outside of this specific wartime period, U.S. nickels do not contain any silver.