Buffalo Nickle

The Buffalo Nickel (also known as the Indian Head Nickel) was minted from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by the sculptor James Earle Fraser. They were made in the Philadelphia, Denver (D) And San Francisco (S) mints. Since the buffalo head nickel was made from 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel, they are not as prone to pricing volatility as much as gold and silver coins.  My collection is far  from

complete. I may never be able to afford the 1937- D 3 legged coin. Here is why. Burt maybe one day. But here is my collection which is still a work in progress:

The 1931-S is a very interesting coin.  The original mintage of 1,200,000 makes it the second lowest mintage Buffalo nickel, after the 1926-S (970,000 originally minted). But the 1931-S is rare in circulated grades but not that rare in mint state. By 1930, some pioneering dealers, such as PCGS CoinFacts Coin Dealer Hall of Fame member Wayte Raymond, had starting saving original uncirculated rolls of newly minted coins. Mintage was a big factor in the decision making process. The 1931-S Buffalo was such a low mintage that quite a few uncirculated specimens were put away in the year of issue. In fact, there may be more uncirculated examples in existence than circulated ones. (This low mintage saving phenominum was repeated years later with the 1950-D Jeffereson nickel, another issue that's rarer circulated than uncirculated.) The very late dates, i.e. the 1936-1938 issues, are much more plentiful in mint state than the 1931-S, but other than that, the 1931-S is just not that tough to find. The mint state survivors usually have a decent strike and luster can be quite frosty. Interestingly, while fairly common in Gem MS65, the 1931-S is somewhat scarce in MS66, and nearly impossible to find in MS67.

Other Features


Denomination
5C
Mint Location
San Francisco, California
Mint Mark
S
Diameter
21.2 millimeters
Weight
5 grams
Mintage
12
Composition
75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Designer
James Earle Fraser
Edge
Plain