1936-S Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 14,930,000 made
- Mintage
- 14,930,000
- 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 1936-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 1936-S Buffalo Nickel rare?
- No. 15 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1936-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 1936 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 1936 are scarcer?
- The 1931-S at 1,200,000, the 1937-S at 5,635,000, the 1935-S at 10,300,000. So the 1936-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1936-S Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 14,930,000.
What to check on your 1936-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 1936-D (25 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1936 Buffalo Nickel Proof (4,420 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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. With 14,930,000 made, you can still find a 1936-S in rolls, old jars and inherited collections. The coins worth keeping are the uncirculated ones and any with a doubled die or other variety.
The story of the 1936-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 14,930,000 in 1936, from 10 million the year before. The next year it made 5.6 million (1937-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1936 alone came to 119 million, roughly 8 for every 1936-S. That makes the 1936-S the scarcer 1936 coin, though still a common one.
Of the 22 Buffalo Nickels San Francisco struck between 1913 and 1937, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1926-S at 970,000. Within the 1930s it's 8th smallest of 15, between the 1935-D (12 million) and the 1937-D (18 million).
Depression gap, record output and the legless bison (1932 to 1938)
No nickels were made in 1932 or 1933. Production resumed in 1934 and climbed to a series high of 119 million at Philadelphia in 1936. Proofs returned in 1936 and 1937, first with satin and then brilliant finishes. The 1935 has a doubled die reverse.
Two famous varieties come from Denver. In 1936 a die was polished so heavily that the bison has three and a half legs. In 1937 a similar polishing removed the front leg entirely, creating the 1937-D three-legged nickel, one of the most popular varieties. In 1938 only Denver struck Buffalo nickels before the Jefferson nickel replaced it. Some 1938-D coins show a D over S mint mark. These later dates are common and often well struck.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1936
The Mint resumed selling proof coins to collectors in 1936 after a break of about 20 years.
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 | 1936 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 14,930,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1936 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 Buffalo Nickel | 118,997,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1936 Buffalo Nickel Proof | 4,420 | Proof | – |
| 1936-D Buffalo Nickel | 24,814,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1936-S Buffalo Nickel | 14,930,000 | 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.