1920-S Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 9,689,000 made
- Mintage
- 9,689,000
- 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 1920-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 1920-S Buffalo Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 9.7 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1920-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 1920 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 1920 are scarcer?
- The 1924-S at 1,437,000, the 1915-S at 1,505,000, the 1921-S at 1,557,000, plus 5 more. So the 1920-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1920-S Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 9,689,000.
What to check on your 1920-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 1920-D (9.4 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 1920-S
San Francisco made 9,689,000 in 1920, up from 7.5 million in 1919. In 1921 the figure was 1.6 million.
The other mints made far more that year: 1920 alone came to 63 million, roughly 6.5 for every 1920-S. That makes the 1920-S the scarcer 1920 coin, though still a common one.
Across San Francisco's 22 Buffalo Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1926-S with 970,000 made. The 1920-S is one of the easier ones. Within the 1920s it's 16th smallest of 25, between the 1920-D (9.4 million) and the 1921 (11 million).
World War I output and the 1918/7-D (1918 to 1921)
Demand during and after World War I kept production high, reaching more than 60 million at Philadelphia in 1919 and 1920. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 5 to 10 million a year, far less than Philadelphia. A postwar recession cut 1921 output. San Francisco struck only 1.6 million that year, a semi-key date.
The 1918/7-D overdate is one of the most famous varieties of the 20th century. A working die received an 8 over a 7 and went into use without the error being caught. The overdate is difficult to see on worn coins, so collectors check the shape of the 8. Most survivors from these years are worn, often with weak dates. Well struck branch mint coins are scarce.
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 | 1920 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 9,689,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1920 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 Buffalo Nickel | 63,093,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1920-D Buffalo Nickel | 9,418,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1920-S Buffalo Nickel | 9,689,000 | 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.