1936 Indian Head Nickel
1936 Buffalo (Indian Head) Nickel - VF. $0.85 or Best Offer. Seller: 1028kenj Condition: VF 1936-P Buffalo Nickel. See Special Offer. The Buffalo nickel or Indian Head nickel is a copper-nickel five-cent piece that was struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. As part of a drive to beautify the coinage, five denominations of US coins had received new designs between 1907 and 1909. Type: Buffalo Nickel Year: 1936 Mint Mark: P Face Value: 0.05 USD Total Produced: 118,997,000 Silver Content: 0% Numismatic Value: $1.75 to $67.00 Value: As a rough estimate of this coins value you can assume this coin in average condition will be valued at somewhere around $1.75, while one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $67 at auction. What This Coin Looks Like (Obverse, Reverse, Mint Mark Location, Special Features, etc.): The 1936 D 3 1/2 Legs Buffalo Nickel error can be identified by looking at the legs of the buffalo on the reverse of the Indian head nickel. There will be 3 solid legs but the front leg will be weak and partially clear.
I want to provide you with information on this historic coin even though it contains no silver. A small number of them can be quite valuable plus the images appearing on the obverse and reverse are among the best of any U.S. coin. Designed by James Earle Fraser (his initial F appears beneath the date) the nickel was struck from 1913 through 1938. A total of three U. S. Mints were involved in the production of the Buffalo Nickel: Denver; Philadelphia; and San Francisco.
Indian Head Nickels - Facts and Details
This popular U.S. coin features the image of an Indian chief on the obverse - reportedly a composite head of chiefs Iron Tail, Two Moons and John Big Tree. The reverse features the image of an American Buffalo - assumed to be that of Black Diamond (a famous buffalo once a resident of the New York Zoological Gardens. The mint mark is on the reverse side below the buffalo and just under 'FIVE CENTS'. Mint marks are 'D' for Denver and 'S' for the San Francisco Mints. If no mint mark appears, it was minted in Philadelphia. Click on images for a larger view.
The Philadelphia mint produced more of these nickels in any given year than the Denver and San Francisco mints combined. The five highest mintage (most common) Buffalo nickels, all from Philadelphia are:
1936 - 118,997,000; 1937 - 79,840,000; 1920 - 63,093,000; 1919 - 60,868,000; 1935 - 58,264,000
The lowest mintage (least common) Buffalo nickels are all from the San Francisco mint. If you have any of the coins listed below and they are in decent condition, I would suggest you get an estimate of worth either from a few dealers at a coin show or from one or more local coin shops.
1926S - 970,000; 1931S - 1,200,000; 1913S* - 1,209,000; 1924S - 1,437,000; 1915S - 1,505,000
It should be noted that no nickels were produced in 1922. In 1938 only the Denver mint was producing Buffalo nickels (total of 7,020,000) as the Jefferson nickel was taking its place. A total of 28,977,000 Jefferson nickels were produced by all three mints in 1938. These are not rare.
*One variation of the 1913S is quite rare and could net you at least a few hundred dollars.
Buffalo Error Coins
Error coins are mistakes usually made by mint employees and/or the equipment they are using. There are a few Buffalo error coins that can be worth anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Probably the most famous one being the 1937D three-legged buffalo. The Denver mint released an unspecified number of Buffalo nickels in 1937 with one of the buffalo's front legs missing. Even in somewhat worn condition, it is worth a few hundred dollars.
The most valuable Buffalo error coin is the 1916 Double Die Obverse minted in Philadelphia. What this fancy term means is that the coin was double stamped on the obverse with the second stamping not quite matching the location of the first thereby creating a shadow on the 6. Worth a few thousand even in somewhat worn condition.
A more common situation with error coins is where a date number is over-stamped with another number. This true of the 1918D nickel where the 8 was stamped over the original 7. Worth several hundred dollars depending on condition. Another is the 1914 nickel where a 4 was stamped over the original 3. Worth at least a few hundred unless extremely worn.
If you have any of the above coins, I encourage you to get them evaluated by a precious metals professional. Not a pawn shop, not a jewelry store but someone who is a coin professional.
My Small Success Story
Whenever I receive change containing nickels, I always check them over to see if there are any WW II nickels. Issued from 1942-1945, these are the only U.S. nickels to contain silver - just a small amount (.0563 troy ounces) but enough to set aside and save. Imagine my surprise to receive a 1917S Buffalo nickel from a casino redemption machine (click on images for a larger view of this coin). The San Francisco nickels tend to be worth more as the mintage numbers are low - this one being 4,193,000. Not that rare but I ended up selling it on eBay for $25.00. Not a bad return. So keep your eyes open for such opportunities.
Disclaimer:I have made every reasonable effort to produce an informative and helpful article on Buffalo nickels based on my research and experiences. However, I make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to its completeness, accuracy or suitability for any specific situation or purpose. See Terms and Conditions for more info.
Buffalo Nickel Overview
Most commonly referred to as the Buffalo Nickel by collectors and the general public, the Indian Head Nickel was minted from 1913 till 1938. We’ll learn more about these coins, especially the 1936 Buffalo Nickel.
The iconic Indian Head on the obverse and American Bison on the reverse were regarded as one of the most beautiful coins in circulation at the time. The designer of the obverse and reverse of the Buffalo Nickel was sculptor James Earle Fraser.
Before being commissioned to make the design for the Buffalo Nickel, Fraser was an assistant to the famous engraver, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This association led to the US mint selecting Fraser’s preliminary designs to be used to create America’s next nickel.
Fraser’s final design featured a bust of a Native American wearing a traditional headdress facing right, with the word “LIBERTY” on the obverse.
On the reverse is a depiction of the American Bison standing on a hill, with the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” above and “FIVE CENTS” below. After realizing that the hill the bison was standing on wore away quickly in circulation, Fraser changed the design midway through 1913, removing the hill.
Each Buffalo Nickel is composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel and has a weight of 5.00 grams. The diameter of the coin is 21.2mm and it does not have reeding on the edges like modern day dimes or quarters.
History of the 1936 Buffalo Nickel
The year 1936 was a very big year for the Buffalo Nickel. Almost 119 million examples were minted, making the 1936 Buffalo Nickel the most minted year in the series. All 119 million pieces were minted at the US mint in Philadelphia.
One problem that was prevalent across the entire series was the short life span in circulation. This was due to the high-design details as well as the coins’ heavy and wide use in circulation. The 1936 Buffalo nickel is no exception to this problem, which leads to most examples having average to below-average condition.
This does not mean that all coins suffered the fate of being worn away. There are still a few 1936 Buffalo Nickels that are still in Uncirculated condition. Most of these coins were kept at banks or businesses and never released into circulation. These high-grade examples of the 1936 Buffalo Nickels are still cheaper than high-grade examples from the mid to early 1920s.
Grading 1936 and Other Buffalo Nickels
1936 Indian Head Nickel Coin Value
Knowing what grade to assign to your 1936 Buffalo Nickel will help you in determining its value. Since there is a wide range of conditions that 1936 Buffalo Nickels can be found in, there are many different grades that can be assigned.
Here are some simple rules to help you grade your 1936 Buffalo Nickel:
Good 4 - Date is readable, but some numbers may be very light or worn away. Most details are worn away on the obverse and reverse, including the Bison’s tail. Rims are completely worn away.
Fine 12 - Similar to good but has a general increase in the number of details. Rims are mainly intact and the date is full. Half of the bison’s tail can be seen.
Extra Fine 45 - A coin that was not in circulation for a long time. Has almost full detail and a good amount of luster present. Bison’s tail is full but may have a small amount of wear.
Uncirculated 60 - Shows no signs of circulation and all details on the obverse and reverse are sharp. Full mint luster is still present. Bison’s tail is full and sharp with no wear present.
Gem Uncirculated 63 - Greater mint luster than that of the Uncirculated 60 grade. Little to no contact marks on the Indian’s cheek from the minting process. All other details are incredibly sharp.
Because of the problems with wear, most 1936 Buffalo Nickels will be in the range of Fine 12 and Good 4. Although rare, it is possible to find 1936 Buffalo Nickels in uncirculated condition. Any coins in uncirculated condition should be taken to a coin dealer for a second opinion and to make sure it has not been cleaned at any time.
Since there are more surviving 1936 Buffalo Nickels in Uncirculated condition than other years in the series, it is not worth sending them to third party graders unless they are in Gem Uncirculated 63 condition.
1936 Buffalo Nickel Value
Like most coins that were minted in mass amounts, the 1936 Buffalo Nickel holds only a small premium in conditions less than Uncirculated. This is due to most coins being worn easily from circulation.
In Good 4 condition, 1936 Buffalo Nickels are worth $0.50 and in Fine 12, approximately $1.00. Most examples from 1936 will fall into either of these two categories.
Graded Uncirculated examples are worth much more than those in average grades. For example, a PCGS graded MS-60 1936 Buffalo Nickel is worth $17. This price jumps considerably if a coin is graded in MS-63 condition, when the price becomes $40.
1936 Indian Head Nickel E
Currently the 1936 Buffalo Nickel is not worth a large sum, however, the prices of these coins have been continually growing over the years. The increase is due to the coins’ growing popularity with collectors and the slow increase in scarcity. Because of these factors, it may be worth holding onto your 1936 Buffalo Nickel, even if it isn’t in a high grade.