1936 Buffalo Nickel Value

Philadelphia made 118,997,000, the highest mintage of any Buffalo nickel. Their coins have no mint mark. A coin graded MS-64 sold for $31.73 in 2013, and an MS-67 brought $428.88 the same year. One graded MS-68 sold for $2,280 in 2025.

Denver made 24,814,000, marked with a D under FIVE CENTS. A coin graded MS-68 sold for $4,080 in 2024. Check the front leg of any 1936-D, as the next section explains.

San Francisco made 14,930,000, the fewest that year. One graded MS-66 sold for $145 in 2025.

The best-known 1936 variety is the 1936-D with three and a half legs, shown in the table above. True mint errors are rarer. The top one on record is a 1936 nickel struck on a blank meant for a one centavo coin of Nicaragua. Graded MS-62, it sold for $7,637.50 in 2015.

Off-center strikes come up more often. Three sold for $228, $336 and $1,560 between 2018 and 2022. If part of the design on your nickel is missing and a blank strip shows, have a grading service look at it.

Three things can lift a 1936 nickel well above the common price. Each one is rare, so check your coin without getting your hopes too high.

• Top condition. A regular 1936 nickel graded MS-68, which means nearly perfect, sold for $2,280 in 2025. A grade that high takes a coin that was never spent and was stored with care.
• The 1936-D with 3 and a half legs. A die at the Denver mint was polished too much, and the buffalo's front leg lost part of its detail. An estimated 300 or so survive in all grades, though estimates vary widely. One graded MS-63 sold for $20,700 in 2009.
• Proofs. The Mint made 4,420 proof nickels in 1936 for collectors. At first they had a satin finish that looked much like an ordinary nickel. Later ones had a brilliant finish. A brilliant proof graded PR-68 sold for $19,200 in 2018.

The Denver variety is the one worth looking for in an old jar of change, because nearly all the known ones are worn coins. Look at the front leg, the one nearest the buffalo's head. On the variety, part of that leg is faint or missing. The famous 1937-D three-legged nickel was made the same way on a different die.

Worn legs are common, so wear alone doesn't make the variety. If you think you have one, don't clean it. A grading service can confirm it, and buyers will want that before they pay a premium. For the rest of the series, see our Buffalo nickel values page and the nickel value page.

The date is on the front, at the lower left, just under the neck. You can see it in the photo on this page. The mint mark is on the back. Turn the coin over and look under the words FIVE CENTS.

• No letter. The coin was made in Philadelphia. This is the most common 1936 nickel.
• A small D. The coin was made in Denver. Check the buffalo's front leg on this one, as the next section explains.
• A small S. The coin was made in San Francisco, which made the fewest that year.

The letter is tiny and often worn. A magnifying glass and a bright lamp help. Tilt the coin under the light until the letter casts a shadow.

Buffalo nickels have a weak spot. The date and the words FIVE CENTS were the parts of the design that wore down first. The Mint made the numbers thicker over the years, and that helped. Even so, many later Buffalo nickels have lost their dates.

A dateless Buffalo nickel is not a rare kind of coin. It once had a date like all the others, and years in pockets and cash drawers rubbed it away. With no date, nobody can tell a 1936 from any other year, so these sell at the low end for the series.

Some people use acid to bring a date back. It works, but it damages the coin and leaves an ugly stain where the date is. If your nickel has no date, leave it as it is.

If you're not sure what coin you have, our photo coin identifier may help. Photograph both sides and the app names the coin and shows an estimated value range. It's an estimate and not a grade, but it tells you if the coin deserves a closer look.

Three mints made Buffalo nickels in 1936, and all three made a lot. Grading experts call the 1936 one of the most common Buffalo nickels in all grades. That's the honest starting point for the coin in your hand.

These coins were spent for years, so most have lost detail. If the design looks flat and smooth, the coin is worn. The tables above show real sales, and how far the price climbs for a coin that was never spent.

There's no silver in it. A 1936 nickel is 75% copper and 25% nickel, so it has no melt value to speak of. What it's worth depends on its condition and on which mint made it.