1927 D Buffalo Nickel ☆☆ Circulated ☆☆ Great Book Filler 183. 1927 D Very Fine VF Buffalo US Nickel 5C. A sweet buffalo nickel i piked up at the flea market. I plan on going back to the man who sold me this for more.

The Buffalo nickel was the United States five cent coin minted from 1913 to 1938. Its name comes from the buffalo (i.e. American bison) pictured on the reverse design.

1927-D Buffalo Nickel. The Executive Coin Company 2073 Graham Road Stow, Ohio 44224 330-686-1100 1-800-965-2646. Login View Cart (0) View Wishlist (0) Checkout. With over three million 1927-S Buffalo nickels minted, this hardly qualifies this coin as rare or scarce. In fact, you can purchase a well-circulated coin from a reputable coin dealer for just a few dollars. However, well-struck uncirculated coins that exhibit the finer details of the design are few and far between. The reason why more. The 1927 Special Strike Buffalo Nickels are extremely rare. Only 3 examples are believed to exist. The coins have a very sharp strike and an unusual finish making it fairly easy to differentiate them from business strike and proof coins. The 1927 Special Strike Buffalo Nickels are definitely very special and deserve the Special Strike status.

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.S. Mint each year since 2006.

American Gold Buffalo coin, the first .9999 fine gold coin issued by the U.S. 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.S. coins.

A Note About Valuable Coins

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.

Current Prices for Buffalo Nickel Key Dates, Semi-Keys, and Varieties (Chart)

Buffalo nickels that are not included on the list above are more common. They are worth much less in circulated grades.

Circulated Buffalo nickels. Image: CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Other Buffalo Nickel Values (Chart)

Here's what the more common Buffalo nickels are worth in well-worn grades.

Proof Buffalo Nickel Values (Chart)

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 20-year hiatus on producing these specially struck coins.

By the time the U.S. Mint resumed making proof coins in 1936, 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-63:

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 Nickel Series Highlights

Buffalo nickels were struck from 1913 through 1938. 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.

1913 Type I (Mound) Buffalo nickel. Image: USA CoinBook

Many older numismatists can still recall when Buffaloes made regular appearances in circulation. These beautiful nickels are widely collected by hobbyists of all ages.

In addition to its rugged design by James Earle Fraser, one of the many reasons the Buffalo nickel series has enjoyed timeless appeal is its numerous key dates, semi-keys, and varieties.

Buffalo nickels offer collectors limitless opportunities for numismatic challenges both great and small. Hobbyists of all financial means can assemble a nice set of these classic coins.

Most Buffalo nickels are quite common, and thus they are relatively affordable. Yet there are several rarer pieces that are very valuable. But how much is a Buffalo nickel worth?

Buffalo nickels vary widely in price, from as little as 20 or 30 cents for pieces on which the date has been completely obliterated through heavy wear to thousands of dollars for rarities in Gem Uncirculated condition.

Tips for Collecting Buffalo Nickels

The Buffalo nickel series is expansive to say the least. It encompasses 71 regular-issue nickels along with major varieties and seven proofs.

In circulated condition, only a handful of Buffalo nickels are truly scarce and exorbitantly expensive.

Conversely, the majority of dates are quite pricey in uncirculated condition, particularly in grades of MS-64 or MS-65 or better.

There are many ways that one can build a nice collection of Buffalo nickels.

You can surely assemble an entire date-and-mintmark set of Buffalo nickels. Unfortunately, this is often cost prohibitive for many hobbyists, even if they’re pursuing “just” the circulated pieces.

Let’s examine a few affordable alternatives to building an entire set of Buffalo nickels:

• Build a short set. Many collectors narrow down their Buffalo nickel sets to only the most common dates. This includes coins struck between 1934 through 1938.
  This significantly reduces the number of coins necessary to complete a set. Oftentimes those who pursue this short set will prefer quality over quantity. That means only going after higher-grade examples.
  

• Assemble a year set. A collector may seek one example from each year, regardless of mintmark. This is in lieu of chasing after each date-and-mintmark combination.
  You can build a set of Buffalo nickels spanning the entire series run without breaking the bank. A year set can help a collector avoid virtually all of the expensive semi-key and key dates.
  

• Focus on only regular-issue business strike coins (not varieties). Finishing a more challenging set complete with varieties and proofs gets very costly. Collectors may find a happy medium by building a regular-issue run of business-strikes.
  This would still be a pretty expensive endeavor! But such a set lacks the super-expensive varieties such as the 1916 doubled die and 1937 3-legged nickels.
  

Most Buffalo nickels only really become collectible when the date is at least partially visible. Basically that translates into an example grading About Good-3 to Good-4.

Many hobbyists prefer that the bison exhibits a full horn. This is usually seen at a grade of Very Fine-20 or higher.

Regardless of the coin's grade, the nicer the piece, the stronger chance it improves in value down the line.

Besides, high-quality coins are simply more desirable than subpar pieces. Numismatists always find more satisfaction with coins boasting high-quality surfaces and overall excellent eye appeal.

Like the modern Gold Buffalo, the Indian Head nickel has inspired many fantastic and artistic items on today's bullion market. In addition to a one-time commemorative Silver Buffalo coin issued by the U.S. Mint in 2001, private refineries across the United States regularly make Silver Buffalo rounds.

Several talented medallic artists (sculptors and engravers) have even taken their inspiration from the American Buffalo theme even further. Some examples are The Hunter silver round and the Silver Buffalo round (antique finish), exclusively available for purchase at Gainesville Coins! See below:

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez is a journalist, editor, and blogger who has won multiple awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild. He has also authored numerous books, including works profiling the history of the United States Mint and United States coinage.

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Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 2/8/2021: Gold $1813 Silver $26.90

Today the 1926 nickel value begins at $0.65. The price is for a heavily worn coin, in what is known as 'Good' condition.

However the branch mint issues of the 1926 Buffalo nickel are rather elusive, any you find has great value. These old nickels were minted at three different locations, each valued separately, with the San Francisco mint coin as the standout piece.

Next, the amount of wear and abuse your coin has endured plays an important role in the 1926 nickel value. Examine each carefully, how well the coin has survived determines how much it is worth.

The 'uncirculated' example pictured, because of its excellent quality, is high on the want lists of collectors and rare coin dealers.

With the strong 1926 nickel value of the branch mints, finding one is a potential treasure in your box of old coins.

Of the three mints that produced Buffalo nickels, the 1926 'S' is the one you are hoping to find.

The small 'S' located on the reverse indicates the coin was minted in San Francisco. The next in value is the Denver mint coin identified by a 'D'. And third place in value, the Philadelphia mint, did not use a mintmark.

High 1926 Nickel Value at Auction

The 1926-S Buffalo nickel with a very low original mintage of 970,000 coins has from the beginning been one of the more elusive dates in the series.

Finding one of these rare nickels in worn, circulated condition is a prize worth $14 or more. Finding one in suburb 'uncirculated', still in brand new condition is discovering a treasure worth $3,000 to $3,200. So few of the 1926-S nickels have survived in Uncirculated condition and the demand from collectors has pushed the value into the thousands of dollars.

How high can the price for one of these rare coins go?

Recently at a David Lawrence Rare Coin Auction $17,250 was required to be the winning bidder on a very choice 1926-S Buffalo nickel. A truly outstanding coin, this nickel radiated quality through the soft toning and further adding to its appeal are the abrasion free surfaces of a well struck coin.

Serious collectors assembling the finest Buffalo nickel collections are willing to aggressively bid on the right coins. The 1926 nickel is one coin to carefully examine before an accurate value is determined or to receive full price if selling your coins.

Finding Accurate 1926 Nickel Value

The second half of your value investigation is judging the condition of your buffalo nickel and determine its grade.

As seen in the chart above a difference in 'Grade' produces a large swing in the 1926 nickel value.

Uncirculated: A 1926 buffalo nickel in this condition stands out as a superior coin. It never circulated, therefore its surfaces show no signs of wear. Handle 'Uncirculated' condition coins by their edges to preserve their surfaces. Rotate the coin under a light, examine the cheek of the Indian and upper back of the buffalo for signs of wear, appearing as dullness on the high points.

Extremely Fine: As a coin circulates friction begins to show as a slight loss of detail on the hair braid of the Indian and upper front leg of the Buffalo. Although wear is noticeable your nickel still appears sharp and crisp, and a desirable coin.

Fine: Once well rounded features are flattened in appearance. Places to study are the Indian's eyebrow, chin, and hair above the braid. Smooth spots have been created on the Buffalo's upper and lower legs, head and body, although a separation from one area to the next remains. The branch mint 'D' and 'S' Buffalos are nice collectibles in this grade.

Good: Buffalo nickels have such a bold design that even in Good condition they are pleasing. The rim however has begun to touch the tops of the lettering on both the obverse and reverse and the date is faint but readable.

Coin Values CoinStudy Articles

Date by Date
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1913 to 1938

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