1936 Buffalo Nickel Value: What Is It Worth in 2026?
Worth selling individually: list it on eBay or offer it to a local coin dealer. Grading fees would eat the profit, so sell it as-is.
Value by condition
| Good (G-4, heavily worn) | $1.56 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $1.88 |
| Fine (F-12) | $2.19 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $2.50 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $3.62 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $11 |
| Mint State (MS-63, uncirculated) | $61 |
A 1936 Buffalo Nickel struck at the Philadelphia (no mint mark) mint — a final-years issue, more available thanks to collector hoarding when the series ended.
See the full page for this coin (mintage, how to identify it, where to sell)1936 Buffalo nickel no mint mark value
If your 1936 Buffalo nickel has no letter on the back, nothing is missing — it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which never marked its Buffalo nickels. Flip the coin over and look below FIVE CENTS: a small D means Denver, a small S means San Francisco, and no letter at all means Philadelphia. "No mint mark" and "P" are the same coin, so the price table above is exactly the one to use.
In worn condition that puts your coin around $1.56, rising to $61 in uncirculated mint state. The 1936-D and 1936-S versions (with a letter on the back) are different coins — check the related links below if yours has one.
A common coin with one genuinely rare variety
Philadelphia struck over 118 million Buffalo nickels in 1936 — one of the highest mintages of the series. A worn 1936 with no mint mark is worth about a dollar, and most of the ones that turn up in jars and collections are exactly that coin. Even in uncirculated condition it is affordable, because so many were saved in the final years of the series.
The exception is the 1936 Doubled Die Reverse variety, where the lettering on the back shows clear doubling. It is scarce in all grades and brings strong premiums. If your 1936 looks ordinary, check FIVE CENTS and the buffalo's back under magnification before writing it off as a common coin — and check the 1936-D '3½ Legs' variety too if yours has a D.
How to confirm it's genuine
- The mint mark is on the reverse, below FIVE CENTS — a small D or S. No letter means Philadelphia. The date is on the obverse, on the Native American's left shoulder; it wears away first because it sits on the highest point of the design.
- Never clean the coin: cleaning destroys the original surface and can cut the value in half.
- For any coin worth more than $200, PCGS/NGC grading fees (~$20–50) are money well spent.
Where to sell this coin
- eBay works best in the $1.00–$200 range. Take clear photos of both sides in natural light, and put the year, mint mark, and approximate grade in the title.
- A local coin dealer is the fastest way to cash out, but expect 60–70% of guide prices. Best for selling common dates in bulk — dealers buy worn Buffalo nickels by the roll.
- Graded high-value coins do best at auction houses like Heritage Auctions or Stack's Bowers, where realized prices are public.