Janet writes: I have a buffalo nickel from 1936, do you know how much it is worth?
If I had a nickel for every time some one asked that question I’d be……loaded down with nickels. Actually, the 1936 Buffalo nickel is one of the most common in the series. It was also a date that was very near the end of the life of the design (1938 was the last year). People tend to hoard the last few years and the first year of a coin’s run.
You didn’t tell me if your 1936 Buffalo nickel had a mint mark, (S=San Francisco, D=Denver No mint mark=Philadelphia) or what grade the coin was in. If it is average circulated its worth about 25 cents or a bit more. If it is in new condition any one of the 1936 issues would be worth at least $15 and a lot more if the coin was a superb specimen.
There is a valuable but elusive variety of the 1936-D Buffalo Nickel that has only 3 1/2 legs. This is certainly the result of late die state or in layman’s terms, the die was way past its useful life. If you find this variety, even an average piece would bring $300.
Good luck……