1926 Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 44,693,000 made
- Mintage
- 44,693,000
- 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 1926 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 1926 Buffalo Nickel rare?
- No. With 45 million made, it's one of the most common Buffalo Nickels.
- Is the 1926 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 1926 Buffalo Nickel?
- On the reverse, below the words FIVE CENTS. Philadelphia nickels have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1926 are scarcer?
- The 1921 at 10,663,000, the 1924 at 21,620,000, the 1930 at 22,849,000, plus 5 more. So the 1926 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1926 Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 44,693,000.
What to check on your 1926
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1926
Philadelphia made 44,693,000 in 1926, up from 36 million in 1925. In 1927 the figure was 38 million.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1926-S (970,000) and 1926-D (5.6 million).
Across Philadelphia's 22 Buffalo Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1921 with 10,663,000 made. The 1926 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1920s it's 24th smallest of 25, between the 1927 (38 million) and the 1920 (63 million).
More on the 1926
Philadelphia supplied almost all of the 1926 nickels: 44,693,000, against 5,638,000 at Denver and only 970,000 at San Francisco. Out of every ten Buffalo nickels dated 1926, about nine came from Philadelphia. The 1926-D is a better date too, so a mint mark of either kind below FIVE CENTS is worth a second look.
Philadelphia Buffalos from the mid-1920s are usually much better struck than the branch mint coins of the same years. That makes the 1926 a good choice if you want a sharp, affordable example of James Earle Fraser's design with a full horn on the bison and a clear date. If your date is worn but you can still read 192 and a final 6, the mint mark matters: a 1926 from Philadelphia is common, but the same date with an S is the series' lowest mintage regular issue. A date brought back with acid counts as damaged, so leave dateless coins alone. Coins with a full date carry a small premium; uncirculated ones bring a collector premium.
Branch mint keys and soft strikes (1922 to 1931)
No nickels were struck in 1922. Production resumed in 1923. San Francisco struck small numbers in several years, creating the 1923-S, 1924-S and 1926-S semi-keys. The 1926-S, at 970,000, is the lowest mintage regular issue of the series. Denver and San Francisco coins from these years are known for weak strikes, especially on the bison's head and the date.
The Depression cut demand in 1930 and 1931. In 1931 only San Francisco struck nickels, 1.2 million pieces. The coin was saved by many people at the time. Survivors from the 1920s are usually found with worn or missing dates. Coins with full horn detail carry a premium. Dateless Buffalo nickels from this era are often treated with acid to reveal the date.
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 | 1926 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 44,693,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1926 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 Buffalo Nickel | 44,693,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1926-D Buffalo Nickel | 5,638,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1926-S Buffalo Nickel | 970,000 | 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.