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Buffalo nickel key dates cheat sheet (no prices)
Which Buffalo nickels to set aside when sorting an estate — famous keys, semi-keys, and the three-legged variety. Not a price list. Check the reverse mint mark under FIVE CENTS.
Buffalo nickels look like they should all be rare. Most are not. Use this list to build a pull tray from a mixed pile, then read nickels: common dates vs keys so the rest of the pile does not break your heart.
This is a sorting aid, not a price list. We do not publish dollar values here. Keys still need correct identification, original surfaces, and a live market bid. Condition can make a “common” date interesting and a “key” date disappointing.
Where to look
Mint mark = reverse, under FIVE CENTS. Full locations guide: where is the mint mark?. Dates wear off — if you cannot read the date, you usually do not have a marketable key.
Keys & semi-keys worth pulling
- 1913-S Type 2 (buffalo on raised ground vs mound differences matter — confirm type)
- 1914-D
- 1915-S
- 1918/7-D overdate — needs careful verification; fakes and wishful seeing exist
- 1921-S
- 1924-S
- 1926-S
- 1931-S
- 1937-D Three-Legged — famous variety (missing front leg detail from over-polished die); counterfeits and altered coins are common — get a pro look
Also set aside
- Any Buffalo with a sharp full date and a mint mark you cannot confidently call common
- Pieces that might be overdates or doubled dies matching known references
- Uncirculated-looking original skin Buffalos (condition can matter even on common dates)
Usually not keys
- Dateless or partial-date Buffalos
- Common 1930s P/D/S in worn grades
- Harshly cleaned or holed pieces (bulk / jewelry-adjacent)
Design history vs price
Love the art? Read Buffalo nickels and Standing Liberty quarters history. Selling the pile? Mintage + mint + condition still run the table — old is not rare.
Kitchen-table workflow
- Separate Buffalos from Jeffersons and V nickels first
- For each Buffalo with a readable date, check under FIVE CENTS for a mint mark
- Anything on the pull list goes in a small bag labeled with date + mint
- Dateless pieces can stay in bulk unless you enjoy type collecting for fun
- Bring the pull bag to a shop — do not mail raw keys to strangers from a social ad
If you only remember one thing: a beautiful buffalo design is not a key. The date + mint (+ variety) is.
Tools in this set
- Where is the mint mark? — locations by series with diagrams
- Wheat / early Lincoln cent key dates
- Buffalo nickel key dates
- Morgan dollar key dates
- Old is not rare — why mintage + condition matter