1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date)
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,209,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,209,000
- Metal
- 75% copper, 25% nickel
- Weight
- 5 g
- Diameter
- 21.2 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) rare?
- Somewhat. 1,209,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) silver?
- No. It's 75% copper, 25% nickel. The only silver nickels are the 1942 to 1945 wartime coins with a large mint mark above Monticello.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1913 Buffalo Nickel?
- On the reverse, below the words FIVE CENTS. Philadelphia nickels have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1913 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1913-S.
- How many 1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) coins were made?
- 1,209,000.
What to check on your 1913-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1913-S (2.1 million made).
- Check the date on the obverse, on the raised shoulder below the portrait. Buffalo nickel dates were raised and wore away quickly, so many coins from this period are found with partial or missing dates.
- Judge the grade under good light. The tip of the bison's horn and the date are the key points. A "Full Horn" adds premium and a full, clear date is essential for Fine and above.
Look for a full horn tip on the bison and a clear date. A sharp strike and a full date matter more for value than almost anything else in this series.
The story of the 1913-S
1913 was the first year of the Buffalo Nickel. San Francisco struck 1,209,000 of them. The next year it made 2.1 million (1913-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1913 alone came to 31 million, roughly 26 for every 1913-S. If you're checking a pile of 1913 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1931-S (1,200,000) and the 1924-S (1,437,000).
Only the 1926-S and the 1931-S have a lower mintage among San Francisco's 22 Buffalo Nickels. No Buffalo Nickel of the 1910s had a smaller run.
Type 1, Type 2 and the wearing date (1913 to 1917)
James Earle Fraser's Buffalo nickel was released in 1913. The first version, Type 1, showed the bison standing on a raised mound with FIVE CENTS on it. The words wore away quickly, so later in 1913 the Mint lowered the ground into a flat line with the denomination below it, creating Type 2. The 1913-S Type 2 is a key date with only 1.2 million made.
The raised date on the obverse also wore quickly, so many coins from this era have partial or missing dates. Other notable coins include the 1914/3 overdate, the 1914-D and 1915-S semi-keys and the rare 1916 doubled die obverse. Matte proofs were struck from 1913 to 1916. Survivors from Denver and San Francisco often show weak strikes on the horn and the bison's head.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1913
James Earle Fraser's Buffalo nickel replaced the Liberty Head nickel. The bison was redrawn standing on flat ground partway through the year because the raised mound wore away too quickly.
How to recognize it
The obverse shows a Native American man facing right, with LIBERTY near the rim and the date on his shoulder. The reverse shows an American bison standing on a raised mound in early 1913 and on flat ground afterwards, with FIVE CENTS below. The mint mark is under FIVE CENTS. The raised date wears quickly, which is why many Buffalo nickels have partial or missing dates.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Buffalo Nickel (1913–1938) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,209,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1913 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 Buffalo Nickel | 30,993,520 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1913 Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse) | 29,858,700 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1913-D Buffalo Nickel | 5,337,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1913-D Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse) | 4,156,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1913-S Buffalo Nickel | 2,105,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1913-S Buffalo Nickel (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) | 1,209,000 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: United States nickel mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.