1916-S Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 11,860,000 made
- Mintage
- 11,860,000
- 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 1916-S Buffalo Nickel worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1916-S Buffalo Nickel rare?
- No. 12 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1916-S Buffalo Nickel 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 1916 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 1916 are scarcer?
- The 1913-S (Type 2, flat on reverse, Key date) at 1,209,000, the 1915-S at 1,505,000, the 1921-S at 1,557,000, plus 6 more. So the 1916-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1916-S Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 11,860,000.
What to check on your 1916-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 1916-D (13 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 1916-S
San Francisco ramped up hard in 1916: 11,860,000 coins, about 7.9 times the 1915 run. The next year it made 4.2 million (1917-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1916 alone came to 63 million, roughly 5.4 for every 1916-S. That makes the 1916-S the scarcer 1916 coin, though still a common one.
San Francisco struck the Buffalo Nickel in 22 issues between 1913 and 1937. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1926-S (970,000). Within the 1910s it's 15th smallest of 24, between the 1917-D (9.9 million) and the 1916-D (13 million).
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 1916
A new generation of silver designs arrived: the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half dollar. The first Standing Liberty quarters were struck in very small numbers late in the year.
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 | 1916 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 11,860,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1916 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 Buffalo Nickel | 63,498,066 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1916-D Buffalo Nickel | 13,333,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1916-S Buffalo Nickel | 11,860,000 | 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.