1937 Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 79,480,000 made
- Mintage
- 79,480,000
- 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 1937 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 known variety for the date: 1937-D Three-Legged Buffalo Nickel
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1937 Buffalo Nickel rare?
- No. With 79 million made, it's one of the most common Buffalo Nickels.
- Is the 1937 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 1937 Buffalo Nickel?
- On the reverse, below the words FIVE CENTS. Philadelphia nickels have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1937 are scarcer?
- The 1934 at 20,213,003, the 1935 at 58,264,000. So the 1937 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1937 Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 79,480,000.
What to check on your 1937
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1937-D Three-Legged Buffalo Nickel (it's on Denver coins, not this one).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1937 Buffalo Nickel Proof (5,769 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 79,480,000 made, you can still find a 1937 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 1937
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 79,480,000 in 1937, from 119 million the year before. It turned out to be Philadelphia's last Buffalo Nickel for circulation.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1937-S (5.6 million) and 1937-D (18 million).
Across Philadelphia's 22 Buffalo Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1921 with 10,663,000 made. The 1937 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1930s it's 14th smallest of 15, between the 1935 (58 million) and the 1936 (119 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 1937
Denver produced the famous "three-legged" Buffalo nickel after a worker polished a damaged die too heavily, removing the bison's front leg.
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 | 1937 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 79,480,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1937 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 Buffalo Nickel | 79,480,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1937 Buffalo Nickel Proof | 5,769 | Proof | – |
| 1937-D Buffalo Nickel | 17,826,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1937-S Buffalo Nickel | 5,635,000 | 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.