1917 Buffalo Nickel
Base
About This Coin
The 1917 Buffalo Nickel is a United States nickel from the Buffalo Nickels 1913-1938 series — 5th of 23 years in the series. In 1917, coins were struck at the San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Denver Mints with a combined mintage of 65.5 million. This ranks 16th of 23 years by total mintage, above the series median of 48.7 million. The obverse features a composite Native American portrait combining features of three real tribal chiefs — Iron Tail (Lakota), Two Moons (Cheyenne), and John Big Tree (Seneca) and the reverse displays an American bison (often called Black Diamond after the famous bison at the Bronx Zoo) standing on a mound. Minted during and after World War I, as America emerged as a global power and experienced the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams, 21.2 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Collectors have cataloged 8 known die varieties for this date across 3 categories, including doubled die obverse, doubled die reverse, typical die clash. Across its variants, estimated values range from $10 to $1.9K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $138K in MS67 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Earle Fraser.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
