Coin reference › Five-cent pieces: key dates and major varieties
Five-cent pieces: key dates and major varieties
The difficulty
The problem with Buffalo nickels is that the date sits on a raised shoulder and is the first thing to wear away. A dateless Buffalo is worth almost nothing; the same coin with a readable date can be worth a great deal, and the difference is often still physically there but invisible under ordinary light.
Raking light and measured relief show depth rather than brightness. A date worn flat reflects the same as the field around it and disappears; a date that is merely shallow still has relief, and relief is what the bench measures.
Five-cent pieces cover more design changes than any other circulating denomination - Shield, Liberty Head, Buffalo, Jefferson - and each has its own keys and its own way of wearing out. The Buffalo in particular loses its date before it loses anything else.
What to look for
The 1937-D three-legged Buffalo, the overdates, and the war-time silver alloy years. On Jefferson nickels, full steps on Monticello are worth more than the date on most issues.
| Coin | Year | Mintage | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866 P Repunched Date | Shield nickel | 1866 | N/A | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1871 P | Shield nickel | 1871 | 561,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1877 P Proof Only | Shield nickel | 1877 | 900 | Proof collector issue |
| 1878 P Proof Only | Shield nickel | 1878 | 2,350 | Proof collector issue |
| 1879 P | Shield nickel | 1879 | 29,100 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1879 P 9 Over 8 | Shield nickel | 1879 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1880 P | Shield nickel | 1880 | 19,995 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1881 P | Shield nickel | 1881 | 72,375 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1883 P 3 Over 2 | Shield nickel | 1883 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1885 P | Liberty nickel | 1885 | 1,476,490 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1886 P | Liberty nickel | 1886 | 3,330,290 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1894 P | Liberty nickel | 1894 | 5,413,132 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1912 S | Liberty nickel | 1912 | 238,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1913 D | Buffalo nickel | 1913 | 4,156,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1913 P | Liberty nickel | 1913 | 5 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1913 S | Buffalo nickel | 1913 | 1,209,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1914 D | Buffalo nickel | 1914 | 3,912,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1914 P 4 Over 3 | Buffalo nickel | 1914 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1915 S | Buffalo nickel | 1915 | 1,505,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1916 P Doubled Die Obverse | Buffalo nickel | 1916 | N/A | Die variety: doubling |
| 1918 D | Buffalo nickel | 1918 | 8,362,314 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1918 D 8 Over 7 | Buffalo nickel | 1918 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1919 D | Buffalo nickel | 1919 | 8,006,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1921 S | Buffalo nickel | 1921 | 1,557,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1924 S | Buffalo nickel | 1924 | 1,437,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1926 S | Buffalo nickel | 1926 | 970,000 | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1936 D 3 and Half Legs | Buffalo nickel | 1936 | N/A | Date / mint / design issue |
| 1937 D 3 Legs | Buffalo nickel | 1937 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1949 D D Over S | Jefferson nickel | 1949 | N/A | Error / die variety |
| 1971 S No S | Jefferson nickel | 1971 | 200 | Error / die variety |
Photographing these
Buffalo nickels want raking light because the date sits on a raised shoulder that wears flat; Jefferson nickels want flat, even light so the steps can be counted.
Five days, no card, every tool unlocked. If it cannot settle your coin it will say so, which is the part worth testing.
Start with the trialMore lists
Compiled 2026-09-15. Mintages and designations are matters of record; which coins are worth a second look is an editorial judgement, and this page says so rather than pretending otherwise.
