What is the value of a pre-1963 US silver nickel?

It's a common misconception that because dimes, quarters, and half-dollars were made from 90% silver up to 1964, nickels were also silver. In fact, US nickels made from 1866 to late 1942 and from 1946 to the present are made of a copper-nickel alloy, not silver.

From late 1942 to 1945 nickels did contain a small amount of silver because nickel metal was needed for the war effort. Those "war nickels" are the ONLY ones that have any silver in them. At silver prices in effect as of mid-2015 these coins are worth less than $1 for their silver content.