Buffalo nickel value starts low and climbs fast. A common date in readable, worn condition usually sells for 50 cents to 5 dollars, and a coin whose date has worn away entirely brings 25 cents to a dollar. The money sits in a short list of key dates, mint marks and die errors, where even a worn coin can be worth hundreds and the best preserved pieces have sold for six figures.
So the question is rarely "what is a buffalo nickel worth" in general. It is which of the dozens of date and mint combinations you have, and how much of its detail survived a few decades in pockets and cash registers. This guide walks through both: how to read the coin, what each part of the series sells for, the handful of coins that carry most of the value, and the traps that make a nickel look better than it is.
What a Buffalo Nickel Is Worth at a Glance
Before going date by date, it helps to know where most coins land. These ranges come from dealer price guides and auction records cited further down, read in October 2026.
- Dateless coins: about 25 cents to 1 dollar, as curiosities rather than collector pieces.
- Common dates from the 1920s and 1930s, worn but readable: roughly 50 cents to 5 dollars, rising to about 10 dollars when the details are clear.
- Scarcer branch mint dates, worn: from about 10 dollars to a few hundred.
- Key dates and famous errors: hundreds of dollars in heavy wear, and thousands to six figures in top condition.
The copper and nickel in the coin add almost nothing. Every buffalo nickel is 75% copper and 25% nickel, the same alloy as a modern nickel, so the value is all about scarcity and collector demand.
How to Identify a Buffalo Indian Head Nickel
The coin goes by two names, and both describe the same thing. According to the U.S. Mint, it was struck from 1913 to 1938 to a design by sculptor James Earle Fraser, with the bust of a Native American chief on the front and an American bison on the back. Collectors call it the buffalo nickel, the Indian head nickel, or both at once, which is why searches for buffalo Indian head nickel value land on the same coins.
Each one weighs 5 grams and measures 21.2 millimetres across, with a plain edge. Jefferson replaced the design in 1938, so any nickel with a bison on the back dates from that 25-year window.
Three years are missing from the run. No buffalo nickels were struck in 1922, 1932 or 1933, so a coin that seems to show one of those dates has either been misread or altered.
Type 1 and Type 2 reverses
The 1913 coins come in two versions. On the first, called Type 1, the bison stands on a raised mound with FIVE CENTS on the mound itself. That lettering wore off quickly in circulation, so the Mint changed the reverse partway through 1913.
On Type 2, the bison stands on a flat line and FIVE CENTS sits in a recessed panel below it, out of reach of most wear. Type 2 continued until the series ended in 1938. For value, the distinction matters only for 1913, where some Type 2 coins from Denver and San Francisco are far scarcer than their Type 1 counterparts.
Where the mint mark is
Turn the coin to the bison side and look directly below FIVE CENTS. A small D means Denver, an S means San Francisco, and no letter means Philadelphia. On a Type 1 coin, the mark sits below the mound.
The mint mark is often worth more than the date itself. A 1926 from Philadelphia is a common coin, while a 1926-S from San Francisco is one of the scarcest in the series. Check this letter before anything else, and use a magnifier, because on worn coins it can be faint.
Buffalo Nickel Value by Date and Mint Mark
The table below shows a selection of dates from the JM Bullion chart, read in October 2026. The four columns run from Good, a heavily worn coin with a readable date, through Fine and Extremely Fine to uncirculated. They are dealer guide figures, not sold prices.
| Date and mint | Good | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 Type 1 | $12 | $16 | $25 | $35 |
| 1913-S Type 2 | $340 | $450 | $600 | $750 |
| 1914-D | $90 | $160 | $325 | $400 |
| 1915-S | $50 | $115 | $400 | $500 |
| 1919 | $2.25 | $3.50 | $15 | $32 |
| 1921-S | $75 | $200 | $950 | $1,200 |
| 1924-D | $8.50 | $30 | $235 | $325 |
| 1926 | $1.25 | $2.50 | $10 | $20 |
| 1926-S | $25 | $100 | $900 | $2,650 |
| 1927-D | $2.50 | $7 | $80 | $135 |
| 1929 | $1.25 | $2.50 | $12 | $20 |
| 1930 | $1.25 | $2.50 | $11 | $20 |
Two patterns stand out. Philadelphia coins from the late 1920s barely move from Good to uncirculated, while Denver and San Francisco coins from the same years jump tenfold or more as condition improves. The branch mints struck fewer coins, and fewer of them survived without wear.
Why price guides disagree
Put two guides side by side and the numbers rarely match. JM Bullion lists a worn 1913-S Type 2 at 340 dollars, while US Gold and Coin gives a typical circulated range of 75 to 300 dollars and more. Guides update at different times, some lean on retail asking prices and others on auction results, and condition terms are applied loosely outside a professional holder.
Treat any single guide figure as a reference point. The best evidence of what a coin sells for is a recent sale of the same date, mint mark and condition, which is why it pays to check sold prices before trusting a chart.
The Key Dates That Carry the Series
Mintage numbers explain most of the price differences between regular issues. The series ranges from a low of 970,000 coins to more than 100 million for a single date and mint, and the scarce ones are concentrated in the early years and at the branch mints.
1913-S Type 2
The San Francisco Type 2 coin of 1913 had a mintage of about 1.2 million, one of the lowest in the series, as the dealer L&C Coins notes. Worn coins with clear dates bring real money, and uncirculated examples are a serious pursuit for collectors. The 1913-D Type 2 is the other scarce coin from that first year.
1914-D and 1915-S
These two are semi-key dates rather than true rarities, but both carry a premium in every condition. In the JM Bullion table, a 1914-D starts around 90 dollars even in heavy wear. Any Denver or San Francisco coin from the 1910s deserves a careful look before it goes into a jar.
1921-S
Just over 1.5 million were struck, and most went straight into circulation. Worn coins are scarce, and uncirculated ones are among the hardest coins in the series to find. US Gold and Coin gives a range of 50 dollars to 5,000 dollars depending on condition.
1924-S and 1926-S
The two San Francisco issues of the mid-1920s are low-mintage coins that were usually struck weakly. The 1926-S, at 970,000 coins, has the lowest mintage of any regular buffalo nickel, and it is a challenge in any uncirculated condition. A 1926-S in Mint State 66 sold for 322,000 dollars at Heritage Auctions, a price that shows how much the top end of the market pays for condition on a scarce date.
Errors and Varieties That Bring Real Money
Some of the most valuable buffalo nickels are not scarce dates at all. They are mistakes made at the Mint, struck in small numbers from damaged or reworked dies, and collectors pay heavily for them.
The 1937-D three-legged buffalo
This is the famous one. According to PCGS CoinFacts, a worker at the Denver Mint over-polished a reverse die to remove clash marks and ground off almost all of the bison's front right leg, leaving only the hoof. The die stayed in use because Denver was under pressure to keep production moving.
The coins entered circulation in ordinary shipments, and a Montana dealer named C.L. "Cowboy" Franzen found the first examples in late 1937. PCGS points to a second clue that specialists check: every unaltered three-legged coin shows a rough, raised area between the bison's back legs, a remnant of the damaged die.
Prices are high in any condition. Gainesville Coins lists about 685 dollars in Very Fine, 875 dollars in Extremely Fine and 26,000 dollars in Mint State 65, and the auction record stands at 99,875 dollars.
The 1918/7-D overdate
In 1918, the Denver Mint used a die that still carried part of a 1917 date, so a 7 shows beneath the 8. PCGS calls it the rarest coin in the series, rare in circulated condition, very rare uncirculated and almost impossible to find in gem condition. Its auction record is 350,750 dollars for a Mint State 65 example sold in 2006.
The overdate is visible with a loupe, but the date is the first thing to wear on a buffalo nickel. On most surviving coins it shows only partly, so a worn 1918-D is worth a close look under good light.
The 1916 doubled die
On this variety the date is strongly doubled, clear under magnification and scarce in every condition. A Mint State 65 example sold for 281,750 dollars at Stack's Bowers. Worn examples still bring four figures.
1936-D three-and-a-half legs and 1938-D/S
The 1936-D has its own over-polished die variety, with part of the front leg missing rather than all of it. Greysheet lists it from 425 dollars to 26,400 dollars depending on condition. The 1938-D/S is an over-mintmark: Denver reused reverse dies that had been made for San Francisco, punching a D over the S, and both letters can be seen on a good example.
1936 and 1937 Buffalo Nickel Value
These two years show up in searches more than any other single date, and the reason is simple: the Mint struck enormous numbers of them, so they are what most people find in an old coin jar. Philadelphia alone made more than 119 million nickels in 1936 and almost 79.5 million in 1937.
For most 1936 and 1937 coins, the honest answer is under a dollar to a few dollars. Greysheet's range for the 1936 starts at 45 cents, and NGC puts a circulated 1936-D between 50 cents and 32.50 dollars. A worn 1937 from Philadelphia sits in the same territory.
The exceptions are condition and errors. PCGS notes that the 1937-D is common in all conditions, and only the 1937 and 1938-D are easier to find uncirculated. Yet a 1937-D in Mint State 68, a condition only two PCGS examples had reached, sold for 35,250 dollars in March 2015. Before writing off a 1937-D, look at the bison's front right leg; before writing off a 1936-D, look at it too.
Buffalo Nickel Value With No Date
Fraser put the date on the shoulder of the portrait, one of the highest points on the coin. It was the first part to touch counters, other coins and pocket linings, so after a decade or two of use millions lost their dates entirely. Stack's Bowers notes that buffalo nickels kept circulating into the mid-1960s, long enough to wear many of them smooth.
A dateless coin is worth about 25 cents to a dollar. It still has appeal as an example of the design, and some collectors use them to fill a type set, but it carries no premium for date or mint.
Should you restore the date with acid?
A product called Nic-A-Date uses acid to bring up a ghost of the worn date. It works, but it permanently etches the surface, and L&C Coins notes that restored coins sell for a small fraction of a naturally dated one. On a common date, restoring it is harmless curiosity. On a coin that might turn out to be scarce, it turns a valuable coin into a damaged one.
If you have a pile of dateless coins, check the mint mark first. A D or S on a dateless coin narrows the possible years without touching the surface.
How Condition Changes the Price
Condition is the second half of buffalo nickel value, and on the scarce dates it is the larger half. The difference between a coin with a full date and clear horn on the bison and one worn nearly flat can be a hundredfold.
Collectors and dealers describe condition on a scale from 1 to 70. Coins below 60 show wear, from Good, where the outline and the date are visible, through Fine and Extremely Fine, where more of the hair, feathers and fur survive. Coins from 60 to 70, called Mint State, show no wear at all, and the price climbs steeply through that upper range.
Weak strikes are not wear
Buffalo nickels have an extra complication. The copper-nickel alloy was hard and the design was in high relief, so many coins left the press with soft details. Stack's Bowers says branch mint coins of the late 1910s and 1920s suffer most, and PCGS singles out the 1926-D as particularly weak.
That matters because a weakly struck uncirculated coin can look worn to an untrained eye. Look at the surface rather than only the detail: an unworn coin keeps its mint lustre in the fields even when the design is soft.
Never clean a buffalo nickel
Cleaning removes the natural surface that collectors look for, and they can spot it quickly. A polished or scrubbed coin sells for far less than the same coin left alone, even if the cleaned one looks brighter. If a nickel is dirty, leave it as it is.
Altered and Plated Coins to Watch For
The most valuable varieties have been faked for decades. The three-legged 1937-D is the most common target, because removing one leg from an ordinary 1937-D with a tool is easy, and L&C Coins says altered examples have circulated for a long time. The raised area between the back legs, described by PCGS, is one of the checks a specialist runs.
Dates get altered too, with a 1917 or 1918 coin reworked to imitate the overdate, or a mint mark added to a Philadelphia coin. Stack's Bowers describes a supposedly uncirculated 1918/7-D advertised at a bargain price that turned out to be a Very Fine coin that had been plated.
For any coin that could be worth more than a few hundred dollars, an independent opinion is worth the fee. PCGS and NGC, the two largest coin examination services, describe a coin's condition and seal it in a labelled holder, and serious buyers expect that for key dates and errors.
Where Buffalo Nickel Prices Come From
Three kinds of numbers circulate, and they mean different things. Dealer guides like the JM Bullion and Greysheet figures above give a reference price per condition. Auction records, from houses such as Heritage and Stack's Bowers, show what the very best examples brought on a given day. Marketplace sold listings show what ordinary coins changed hands for recently.
For a typical worn buffalo nickel, the sold listings are the most useful, because they cover the coins people actually have. For a key date in top condition, auction records matter more. Either way, compare like with like: the same date, the same mint mark and the same condition, sold recently.
If you want the broader method behind this, the guide on how to tell what an old coin is worth covers melt value, silver coins and condition across all US coins.
Checking a Buffalo Nickel From a Photo
Reading the date, the mint mark and the condition on a worn coin takes practice, and looking up each combination in several guides takes time. Primo Worth shortens the first step. In Coin mode, you snap a photo and it identifies the denomination, year and mint mark, with a read-out on rarity and what drives the value.
The estimate is the median of comparable sales, checked against recent eBay sales where they exist, and the sold listings appear below it so you can judge whether the matches fit your coin. When there are no comparable sales, the app falls back to a web estimate, and sometimes shows no value at all.
Primo Worth gives an AI estimate, not a professional appraisal. A photo cannot tell an altered three-legged nickel from an unaltered one or settle the fine points of condition, so a coin that looks like a key date still belongs with a specialist. The same approach works for anything else you find in the drawer, as the guide to finding the value of almost anything explains.
Buffalo Nickel Value in Short
Most buffalo nickels are worth 50 cents to a few dollars, and dateless ones less than a dollar. The value climbs with three things: a scarce date and mint mark, such as the 1913-S Type 2, 1921-S or 1926-S; a famous die error, such as the 1937-D three-legged, the 1918/7-D overdate or the 1916 doubled die; and condition, which on scarce dates can multiply the price many times over.
Read the mint mark below FIVE CENTS first, then the date, then the wear. Leave the coin uncleaned and the date unrestored, compare it against recent sales of the same date, mint and condition, and get an independent opinion on anything that looks like a rarity before it changes hands.
