Which buffalo nickels are valuable

When it was first produced in , the buffalo nickel had the lettering "five cents" in raised type. However, people immediately began to notice wear on these letters, and the mint dies were remade later in to have the "five cents" in recessed lettering that might wear better. The early model is called the Type 1, and the later version is the Type 2. Type 2s from are also very valuable, since so few of them were made.

They have a starting value in fair condition of about nine dollars. The date a buffalo nickel was struck and the mint that produced it can also have a significant impact on value.

Some years are worth more than others, and there are certain years when the coin wasn't minted at all. You will not find buffalo nickels from , , or While its important to look for a date when assessing buffalo nickel value, no date doesn't indicate a mint error.

Because the coins did not wear well, the dates completely wore off some coins. It's a good idea to use a magnifying glass to try to discern the mint and date.

Once you do, you can look it up to find its value. Here are some sample values with mint and date as reported by PCGS:. Buffalo nickel error values can be extraordinary.

Certain mistakes, such as a doubled die, involve a portion of the coin being struck with an "echo" of itself. You can find doubled die errors on the obverse and reverse in notable years.

Another iconic error for this series is the three-legged buffalo, in which a minting error left the buffalo with only three legs instead of four.

Here are some buffalo nickel error values to consider, as evaluated by PCGS:. The buffalo nickel did not wear well, and this fault was noted even during its production years. Buffalo nickels are sometimes known as Indian Head nickels due to the composite portrait of an American Indian chief found on the coin's obverse.

This iconic design also appears on modern gold bullion coins called American Gold Buffalos. The Gold Buffalo has been issued by the U. Mint each year since American Gold Buffalo coin, the first. Mint annually. Thanks to their recognizable design, Gold Buffalo coins remain popular with both collectors and investors.

This is no doubt inspired by the history and symbolism of the Buffalo nickel. Meanwhile, the much more affordable five-cent nickels are among the most avidly collected U.

The most valuable coins in a given series are the key dates and varieties. These are the most challenging coins to obtain regardless of their grade. A "key date" is usually a coin with a low mintage. Less of them were made in a particular year.

This is why collectors will pay more for key date coins. Varieties are subsets of a given year's issuance of a coin. Something special or out-of-place, such as an error, makes a variety stand out from the rest of the coins produced in that year. Much like key dates, varieties will have lower production numbers than their common counterparts. What follows is a list of those pieces for the Buffalo nickel series and what they're worth in well-circulated condition.

Buffalo nickels that are not included on the list above are more common. They are worth much less in circulated grades. Circulated Buffalo nickels. Proof coins are made specifically for collectors. They exhibit sharper details, an eye-catching finish, and are made in limited quantities. The United States Mint made a handful of Buffalo nickels in proof before a year hiatus on producing these specially struck coins.

By the time the U. Mint resumed making proof coins in , the Buffalo nickel series was already winding down. In all, there are only seven different proof issues among all Buffalo nickels.

Here's a look at the different proof Buffalo nickels and what they're worth in an average grade of Proof All values listed above are for coins in typical condition that are not cleaned, damaged, or otherwise impaired. Pieces that are cleaned or otherwise damaged are worth less than the values listed above. Buffalo nickels were struck from through They are among the most popular 20th-century United States coins around.

The coin depicts a Native American chief on the obverse and an American bison or "buffalo" on the reverse. This five-cent coin is beloved for its classic Old West imagery.

He created both sides of the coin—the face features the profile of a Native American man, reportedly a composite of several noted tribal chiefs. This rare nickel entered circulation in ; about halfway through the year, the design was changed with the denomination recessed below the coins rim. Its last minting took place in While buffalo nickels are old and can be beautiful to look at, only some of these antique coins hold significant value. Most of these coins, because they often are passed down from generation to generation, hold more sentimental value than monetary.

However, a small number of buffalo nickels are worth more than just five cents. Thanks largely to minting errors—buffalo with 3 or 3. Again, we encourage you to reach out to a specialist to get a specific pricing appraisal.

The US Mint created and circulated a new nickel in The coin features an offset portrait of Thomas Jefferson on one side, and a buffalo on the reverse.