It's a common misunderstanding that because dimes, quarters, and half dollars minted before 1965 were silver, nickels also had silver in them. However the standard composition for US nickels has been an alloy of 25% nickel and 75% copper ever since the coin was introduced in 1866.
The only US nickels that ever contained silver were the famous "war nickels" minted from mid-1942 to 1945. These coins were struck in an alloy of 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% manganese because nickel was needed for the war effort.
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