1918-D Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 8,362,000 made
- Mintage
- 8,362,000
- 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 1918-D Buffalo Nickel worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher. The exception is the 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel Overdate, which collectors pay a large premium for.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A known variety for the date: 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel Overdate
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Check your coin for the 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel Overdate. It is a known overdate for this date and mint.
Quick answers
- Is the 1918-D Buffalo Nickel rare?
- Not by date: 8.4 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1918-D 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 1918 Buffalo Nickel?
- On the reverse, below the words FIVE CENTS. Philadelphia nickels have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1918 are scarcer?
- The 1914-D at 3,912,000, the 1913-D (Type 2, flat on reverse) at 4,156,000, the 1913-D at 5,337,000, plus 2 more. So the 1918-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1918-D Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 8,362,000.
What to check on your 1918-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1918-S (4.9 million made).
- Check the date on the obverse, on the raised shoulder below the portrait. Buffalo nickel dates were raised and wore away quickly, so many coins from this period are found with partial or missing dates.
- Look for the 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel Overdate.
- 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 1918-D
Output at Denver slipped to 8,362,000 in 1918, from 9.9 million the year before. In 1919 the figure was 8 million.
1918-S came to 4.9 million and 1918 came to 32 million, so neither mint's 1918 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Denver's 20 Buffalo Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1914-D with 3,912,000 made. The 1918-D is one of the easier ones. Within the 1910s it's 13th smallest of 24, between the 1919-D (8 million) and the 1917-D (9.9 million).
World War I output and the 1918/7-D (1918 to 1921)
Demand during and after World War I kept production high, reaching more than 60 million at Philadelphia in 1919 and 1920. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 5 to 10 million a year, far less than Philadelphia. A postwar recession cut 1921 output. San Francisco struck only 1.6 million that year, a semi-key date.
The 1918/7-D overdate is one of the most famous varieties of the 20th century. A working die received an 8 over a 7 and went into use without the error being caught. The overdate is difficult to see on worn coins, so collectors check the shape of the 8. Most survivors from these years are worn, often with weak dates. Well struck branch mint coins are scarce.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1918
The Pittman Act authorized the melting of more than 270 million silver dollars, mostly to supply silver to Britain for use in India. No new dollars were struck that year.
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 | 1918 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 8,362,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1918 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 Buffalo Nickel | 32,086,314 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1918-D Buffalo Nickel | 8,362,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1918-S Buffalo Nickel | 4,882,000 | 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.