LUSTRE
Collection

Buffalo Nickel

JAMES EARLE FRASER'S INDIAN HEAD NICKEL, 1913 TO 1938

66 issues ◆ 1913–1938
Melt, per coin: $0.07 Reference prices
Buffalo nickel obverse: Native American portrait facing right
Buffalo nickel Type 2 reverse: bison standing on a flat ground line
Plate. 1913 Type 1 Buffalo nickel, National Numismatic Collection, obverse and reverse. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The design is the same on every date.
Key dates
  1. 1913-S (Type 2 (flat line)) Type 2 (flat line)$2,850⁠–⁠$4,150
  2. 1918-D (8 over 7) 8 over 7$49,000⁠–⁠$71,000
  3. 1921-S$1,900⁠–⁠$2,700
  4. 1924-S$7,000⁠–⁠$10,000
  5. 1926-S$3,700⁠–⁠$5,250

Prices are MS-63 estimates, Oct 2026. A photograph appears below only where we hold a licensed photo of that exact date and mint; every other issue is a medallion.

Buffalo66 issues

1910s

25 issues
1913 (Type 1 (raised mound)) Type 1 (raised mound) 30.99M struck from $0.90
1913-D (Type 1 (raised mound)) Type 1 (raised mound) 5.34M struck from $2.75
1913-S (Type 1 (raised mound)) Type 1 (raised mound) 2.1M struck from $7.25
1913 (Type 2 (flat line)) Type 2 (flat line) 29.86M struck from $0.90
1913-D (Type 2 (flat line)) Type 2 (flat line) 4.16M struck from $2.75
Key date
1913-S (Type 2 (flat line)) Type 2 (flat line) 1.21M struck from $27
1914 Buffalo 20.66M struck from $0.90
1914-D Buffalo 3.91M struck from $7.25
1914-S Buffalo 3.47M struck from $7.25
1915 Buffalo 20.99M struck from $0.90
1915-D Buffalo 7.57M struck from $2.75
1915-S Buffalo 1.5M struck from $7.25
1916 Buffalo 63.5M struck from $0.90
1916-D Buffalo 13.33M struck from $1.25
1916-S Buffalo 11.86M struck from $1.25
1917 Buffalo 51.42M struck from $0.90
1917-D Buffalo 9.91M struck from $2.75
1917-S Buffalo 4.19M struck from $2.75
1918 Buffalo 32.09M struck from $0.90
1918-D Buffalo 8.36M struck from $2.75
Major rarity
1918-D (8 over 7) 8 over 7 Variety from $900
1918-S Buffalo 4.88M struck from $2.75
1919 Buffalo 60.87M struck from $0.90
1919-D Buffalo 8.01M struck from $2.75
1919-S Buffalo 7.52M struck from $2.75

1920s

25 issues
1920 Buffalo 63.09M struck from $0.90
1920-D Buffalo 9.42M struck from $2.75
1920-S Buffalo 9.69M struck from $2.75
1921 Buffalo 10.66M struck from $1.25
Key date
1921-S Buffalo 1.56M struck from $9
1923 Buffalo 35.72M struck from $0.90
1923-S Buffalo 6.14M struck from $2.75
1924 Buffalo 21.62M struck from $0.90
1924-D Buffalo 5.26M struck from $2.75
Key date
1924-S Buffalo 1.44M struck from $13
1925 Buffalo 35.57M struck from $0.90
1925-D Buffalo 4.45M struck from $2.75
1925-S Buffalo 6.26M struck from $2.75
1926 Buffalo 44.69M struck from $0.90
1926-D Buffalo 5.64M struck from $2.75
Key date
1926-S Buffalo 970K struck from $22
1927 Buffalo 37.98M struck from $0.90
1927-D Buffalo 5.73M struck from $2.75
1927-S Buffalo 3.43M struck from $7.25
1928 Buffalo 23.41M struck from $0.90
1928-D Buffalo 6.44M struck from $2.75
1928-S Buffalo 6.94M struck from $2.75
1929 Buffalo 36.45M struck from $0.90
1929-D Buffalo 8.37M struck from $2.75
1929-S Buffalo 7.75M struck from $2.75

1930s

16 issues
1930 Buffalo 22.85M struck from $0.90
1930-S Buffalo 5.43M struck from $2.75
1931-S Buffalo 1.2M struck from $9
1934 Buffalo 20.21M struck from $0.90
1934-D Buffalo 7.48M struck from $0.90
1935 Buffalo 58.26M struck from $0.90
1935-D Buffalo 12.09M struck from $0.90
1935-S Buffalo 10.3M struck from $0.90
1936 Buffalo 119M struck from $0.90
1936-D Buffalo 24.81M struck from $0.90
1936-S Buffalo 14.93M struck from $0.90
1937 Buffalo 79.48M struck from $0.90
1937-D Buffalo 17.83M struck from $0.90
Major rarity
1937-D (3-Legged) 3-Legged Variety from $520
1937-S Buffalo 5.63M struck from $0.90
1938-D Buffalo 7.02M struck from $0.90

Soon

In preparation

Values are Lustre editorial estimate, Oct 2026, not market data. Medallions stand in for issues without a licensed photograph of that exact date. How we estimate.

About the series

The Buffalo Nickel, in brief

James Earle Fraser designed the Buffalo nickel, also called the Indian Head nickel, which was struck from 1913 to 1938. The reverse bison is traditionally linked to the Black Diamond bison at the Bronx Zoo. In 1913 the first reverse, with the bison on a raised mound, was replaced mid-year by a flatter ground line (Type 2) because the denomination wore too quickly. The date is the part of the coin that wears off first.

Buffalo nickels are worth a few dollars in circulated grades, but many dates are scarce in better condition. The key dates are the 1913-S Type 2, 1926-S and 1921-S, and the famous varieties: the 1937-D three-legged buffalo and the 1918/7-D overdate.

Designer
James Earle Fraser
Composition
75% copper, 25% nickel
Mint marks
Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco
Key dates
1913-S (Type 2 (flat line)), 1918-D (8 over 7), 1921-S, 1924-S

Buffalo nickel, Wikipedia: composition, weight, diameter, edge, designer, mint mark position.

Buffalo nickel mintage, Landofcoins.com: mintage by year and mint.

Lustre editorial grade-value estimates, Lustre: grade value ranges (estimates, not market data).

gold-api.com spot prices (reference level for estimates), gold-api.com: reference spot prices behind the estimates.