Are Buffalo nickels rare?

The United States Mint only produced Buffalo nickels at the Philadelphia and San Francisco mint facilities in 1921. Philadelphia produced a majority of the specimens with a mintage of over ten million coins while San Francisco only produced about 1,500,000 coins. This 7-to-1 ratio makes the San Francisco Buffalo nickel the rare of the two issues.

How do you know if a buffalo nickel is rare?

Look for doubling in the last three digits of the coin's date. You will notice that the duplicate digits are a little to the right and lower than the more pronounced date of 1916. This die variety is the most sought-after of all the Buffalo nickel varieties. It is very valuable in circulated grades and very rare in uncirculated grades.

How much is a buffalo nickel worth?

It is estimated that millions of Buffalo nickels are “dateless,” increasing the value of those with legible dates. However, the year alone does not determine a Buffalo nickel's relative value. Several circumstances factor in, including the quality of the coin, among others. The Buffalo nickel’s value largely lies in whether or not it has a date.