1927-S Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 3,430,000 made
- Mintage
- 3,430,000
- 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 1927-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 1927-S Buffalo Nickel rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 3.4 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1927-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 1927 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 1927 are scarcer?
- The 1926-S at 970,000, the 1931-S at 1,200,000, the 1924-S at 1,437,000. So the 1927-S is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1927-S Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 3,430,000.
What to check on your 1927-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 1927-D (5.7 million made).
- 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 1927-S
San Francisco ramped up hard in 1927: 3,430,000 coins, about 3.5 times the 1926 run. The next year it made 6.9 million (1928-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1927 alone came to 38 million, roughly 11 for every 1927-S. That makes the 1927-S the scarcer 1927 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 scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1926-S (970,000). Within the 1920s it's 4th smallest of 25, between the 1921-S (1.6 million) and the 1925-D (4.5 million).
Branch mint keys and soft strikes (1922 to 1931)
No nickels were struck in 1922. Production resumed in 1923. San Francisco struck small numbers in several years, creating the 1923-S, 1924-S and 1926-S semi-keys. The 1926-S, at 970,000, is the lowest mintage regular issue of the series. Denver and San Francisco coins from these years are known for weak strikes, especially on the bison's head and the date.
The Depression cut demand in 1930 and 1931. In 1931 only San Francisco struck nickels, 1.2 million pieces. The coin was saved by many people at the time. Survivors from the 1920s are usually found with worn or missing dates. Coins with full horn detail carry a premium. Dateless Buffalo nickels from this era are often treated with acid to reveal the date.
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 | 1927 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,430,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1927 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 Buffalo Nickel | 37,981,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1927-D Buffalo Nickel | 5,730,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1927-S Buffalo Nickel | 3,430,000 | 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.