1936 (D) Buffalo Nickel - 3-1/2 Legs

Coin Details

Auction Record

$20,700 MS63 03-01-2009 Stack's

Description

The 1936 (D) Buffalo Nickel - 3-1/2 Legs, struck at the Denver Mint, is part of the Buffalo Nickels 1913-1938 collection. The U.S. Mint produced 24.8 million examples of the regular Denver Nickel, making this ranked 2nd of 4 mint variants by mintage, with 14% of production. The obverse features a composite Native American portrait combining features of three real tribal chiefs — Iron Tail (Lakota), Two Moons (Cheyenne), and John Big Tree (Seneca) and the reverse displays an American bison (often called Black Diamond after the famous bison at the Bronx Zoo) standing on a mound. Struck during the Great Depression, when mintages dropped sharply and the United States abandoned the gold standard in 1933. Denver's mint evolved from a frontier assay office into one of the nation's primary coin production facilities, opening in 1906. This is a variety caused by die polishing half of the bufallo's leg away on the reverse. Estimated market value ranges from $527 to $23K depending on grade and condition. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 21.2 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #93978.