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BUFFALO NICKEL
In 1913 the Buffalo nickel, as it is now known, made its appearance. Part way through the year the
reverse design was modified slightly to depict the buffalo (actually, a bison, to be correct
zoologically) on flat rather than raised ground. Striking of the buffalo style continued through 1938
and was accomplished at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints.
The design, in unusually high relief, presented many problems with striking. Today a generous
portion of the specimens extant, particularly those emitted from the Denver and San Francisco
mints, are very weakly struck on the higher portions.
A variety of 1916 occurs with a sharply doubled date. One of the most famous Buffalo nickels is the
1918/7-D overdate. First identified years after it was struck, the piece is rare in all grades,
particularly in mint condition. The 1926-D Buffalo nickel is remarkable for weak striking. Nearly all
Denver Mint denominations this year were struck very poorly.
Perhaps the most unusual variety among Buffalo nickels is the curious 1938-D over S, a coin which
shows an S mintmark clearly under the D. First discovered in 1962, it was the second
"overmintmark" identified in the United States series (the first was the 1900-0/CC Morgan dollar first
described by Howard R. Newcomb decades earlier). Here was a coin with a connection to two widely
separated mints.
After modifications the design, featuring Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his home, Monticello,
on the reverse, was adopted for circulation. Mintage commenced in 1938 and has continued since
that time. Certain nickel varieties from 1942 to 1945 were struck in a special alloy composed of 56%
copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese, to omit nickel which was in strong demand for war
purposes. Several interesting varieties occur in the series, including an
issue of 1939 with the inscriptions MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS doubled, and several
overmintmarks, the 1949-D over S, 1954-S over D, and 1955-D over S.
reverse design was modified slightly to depict the buffalo (actually, a bison, to be correct
zoologically) on flat rather than raised ground. Striking of the buffalo style continued through 1938
and was accomplished at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints.
The design, in unusually high relief, presented many problems with striking. Today a generous
portion of the specimens extant, particularly those emitted from the Denver and San Francisco
mints, are very weakly struck on the higher portions.
A variety of 1916 occurs with a sharply doubled date. One of the most famous Buffalo nickels is the
1918/7-D overdate. First identified years after it was struck, the piece is rare in all grades,
particularly in mint condition. The 1926-D Buffalo nickel is remarkable for weak striking. Nearly all
Denver Mint denominations this year were struck very poorly.
Perhaps the most unusual variety among Buffalo nickels is the curious 1938-D over S, a coin which
shows an S mintmark clearly under the D. First discovered in 1962, it was the second
"overmintmark" identified in the United States series (the first was the 1900-0/CC Morgan dollar first
described by Howard R. Newcomb decades earlier). Here was a coin with a connection to two widely
separated mints.
After modifications the design, featuring Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and his home, Monticello,
on the reverse, was adopted for circulation. Mintage commenced in 1938 and has continued since
that time. Certain nickel varieties from 1942 to 1945 were struck in a special alloy composed of 56%
copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese, to omit nickel which was in strong demand for war
purposes. Several interesting varieties occur in the series, including an
issue of 1939 with the inscriptions MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS doubled, and several
overmintmarks, the 1949-D over S, 1954-S over D, and 1955-D over S.
Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938)
