1935 Buffalo Nickel
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 58,264,000 made
- Mintage
- 58,264,000
- 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 1935 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 1935 Buffalo Nickel rare?
- No. With 58 million made, it's one of the most common Buffalo Nickels.
- Is the 1935 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 1935 Buffalo Nickel?
- On the reverse, below the words FIVE CENTS. Philadelphia nickels have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1935 are scarcer?
- The 1934 at 20,213,003, the 1930 at 22,849,000. So the 1935 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1935 Buffalo Nickel coins were made?
- 58,264,000.
What to check on your 1935
- 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. With 58,264,000 made, you can still find a 1935 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 1935
Philadelphia made 58,264,000 in 1935, up from 20 million in 1934. In 1936 the figure was 119 million.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1935-S (10 million) and 1935-D (12 million).
Across Philadelphia's 22 Buffalo Nickel issues, the hardest to find is the 1921 with 10,663,000 made. The 1935 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1930s it's 13th smallest of 15, between the 1936-D (25 million) and the 1937 (79 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 1935
The last Peace dollars were struck in 1935, ending silver dollar production for circulation.
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 | 1935 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 58,264,000 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 75% copper, 25% nickel |
| Weight | 5 grams |
| Diameter | 21.2 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James Earle Fraser |
Other 1935 Buffalo Nickel issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 Buffalo Nickel | 58,264,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1935-D Buffalo Nickel | 12,092,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1935-S Buffalo Nickel | 10,300,000 | 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.