War Nickel Question

With entry of the United States into World War II, the War Production Board (WPB) began issuing strict allocations of strategic metals necessary for war materials production. Every manufacturer and individual was ordered to cut metal usage, recycle old material and adjust production to support the war. Among the WPB’s first targets were the automotive industry and the United States Mint.
By early 1942 ordinary citizens were writing the Mint with suggestions to reduce the use of copper, nickel, iron and other strategic metals. On February 7, Philip C. Meyer from Richmond, Virginia offered the following suggestions:

Dear Sir:
Here are two suggestions for you to consider:
1 – Coin half-dimes out of silver instead of nickel. [This will] save nickel and copper.
2 – Require every purchaser of collapsible tube goods such as shaving soap and tooth paste, etc. to bring the old empty tube [when buying more]. [This will] save tin and lead.

Meyer’s suggestion for a new half-dime generated considerable interest in substituting a .900 fine silver half dime for the five cent copper-nickel coin. But, after considerable discussion and testing, the Treasury department decided that producing standard size and weight five cent coins in an alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese was less disruptive than issuing a new coin denomination.
The emergency alloy was used from mid-1942 through 1945. No 1942-D nickels were made in the new alloy.
You can read about the “1942 Half-Dime” in the July issue of Coin Values magazine. The article includes photos of the proposed designs – later used for the Franklin half dollar.

Look in the issue of Coin Values that I mentioned for the complete article and photos of the proposed half-dime designs. If you can’t find it at your local book store, you can contact Coin World (Amos Press) and order a copy. (Coin Values, August 2006, vol.4, no.8, p.50.)

The reference for the letter is:

US Mint. NARA-CP, record group 104, entry A1 328I, box 1, folder “Proposed Half Dime.” Letter dated February 7, 1942 to Leon Henderson, Price Administration Office from Philip C. Meyer, 7 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA. Henderson forwarded the letter to the Mint on March 19.

The 1942 half dime article is original research. The silver nickle info is in Breen and a hundred other numismatic books.