Avg Circulated	Good	XF to AU	Uncirculated
Liberty Nickels (1883--1913)	20¢	30¢	$15-$40+	$50+

	Dateless- Damaged	Partial Date	Full Date Good to Very Fine	XF to AU	Uncircu- lated
Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938)	10¢	15¢	30¢	$1-$5	$10+

	Good to Very Fine	XF to AU	Uncirculated
Jefferson Wartime Nickels (1942 - 1945)	40¢	$1+	$4+

 

Jefferson Nickels

Years of issue:  1938-Present

 

 

Most Jefferson nickels (even those from the late 1940’s and 1950’s) that have been circulated are only worth their face value.

 

The most common exceptions are the Jefferson nickels struck during the war years of 1942-1945.  They were made of 35% silver and trade for a premium.  Depending on the silver price we pay around 15-20 cents for the silver nickels.  These can be easily identified by the large mintmark located above the capitol on the reverse of the coin.

 

Other dates that bring a premium in circulated condition include:

Date / Mintmark	Usual Range of Value
1938-D	25¢
1938-S	60¢
1939-D	$2-$20
1939-S	10¢
1950-D	$5-$10

 

Uncirculated rolls, especially of the early years, can also bring substantial premiums.

  

Buffalo (or Indian Head) Nickels

Years of issue:  1913-1938

 

 

Buffalo nickels dated 1913-1926 all bring different values ranging from 10 cents to thousands of dollars.  The condition of the individual coin is especially important in this series.

 

Key dates to look for include:

Date / Mintmark	Usual Range of Value
1913-D Type 2	$60-$200+
1913-S Type 2	$150-$500+
1914-D	$40-$200+
1916 over 16	$1000-$10,000+
1918 over 17-D	$500-$10,000+
1921-S	$30-$1000+
1937-D 3-Legged	$250-$2000+

 

Common circulated coins from the 1926-1938 are worth around 50 cents each, if they have full dates and no problems.  If the date is nearly worn off the coin, its value drops to around 10 cents.

 

High grade circulated Buffalo nickels and uncirculated Buffalo nickels will bring substantial premiums over more circulated coins.  They should be examined closely by a professional numismatist.

  

Liberty Head Nickels

Dates of issue: 1883-1913

 

 

Most liberty nickels we see are well circulated and bring $0.25 to $1.00 each.  Higher-grade coins will bring more money.  Uncirculated examples start at around $50. 

 

The key dates to look for, even in low grade, include:

Date / Mintmark	Usual Range of Value
1885	$200-$1000+
1886	$75-$500+
1912-S	$50-$1000+