Antique buffalo nickels vary greatly in their value depending on a number of factors, and finding out the exact value of your particular item will require you to look at it in some detail. There were six buffalo nickel designs minted in 1936, and each carried the letter 'F' below the date - standing for 'Fraser', after the designer, James E Fraser.
The first and most important part of your examination of the coin will be of its condition. Whilst a common coin in good condition may not fetch as much at auction as a rare coin in a poorer condition, it is the only factor that you can attribute to all of the coins made in 1936. As an example of the importance of the coin's condition, some appraisers will value a poor condition coin at $5, and an absolutely perfect condition coin at as much as $30,000!
The second thing to look at is the legs of the buffalo, or bison, on the reverse of the coin. There were a number of coins minted with a mistake that saw the buffalo lose one or half of its legs, and these coins are worth substantially more than the ones where the buffalo was minted with all its limbs intact.
Now, if you look just below the 'FIVE CENTS' mark on your coin, you will find the coin's mint mark. This will tell you which variation of the coin you possess. Coins carrying '1936' as a mint mark are worth 35c, '1936-D' marked coins are worth 40c, and '1936-S' marked coins are worth 35cents. These values are what you can be expected to be paid by a coin dealer for a coin in average condition - the sort of thing you'd find in a coin jar or shoebox in the attic etc. As previously mentioned, a coin in perfect condition with absolutely no scratches or wear could be worth 10 times as much.
One way to get more for your coin is to find someone who needs it more than a coin dealer does. Coin dealers are businessmen who are looking to buy your coin for as small an amount of money as possible, and then sell it on for as much as they can to collectors. You may want to consider finding coin auctions in your area and listing the item yourself. You could advertise it online, or even sell it on eBay and potentially receive more than its dealer value simply by undercutting the average dealer's resale cost and selling it to a collector who needs it to complete part of their collection. As is true of all collectible items, the value is always as great as your buyer decides.
The first and most important part of your examination of the coin will be of its condition. Whilst a common coin in good condition may not fetch as much at auction as a rare coin in a poorer condition, it is the only factor that you can attribute to all of the coins made in 1936. As an example of the importance of the coin's condition, some appraisers will value a poor condition coin at $5, and an absolutely perfect condition coin at as much as $30,000!
The second thing to look at is the legs of the buffalo, or bison, on the reverse of the coin. There were a number of coins minted with a mistake that saw the buffalo lose one or half of its legs, and these coins are worth substantially more than the ones where the buffalo was minted with all its limbs intact.
Now, if you look just below the 'FIVE CENTS' mark on your coin, you will find the coin's mint mark. This will tell you which variation of the coin you possess. Coins carrying '1936' as a mint mark are worth 35c, '1936-D' marked coins are worth 40c, and '1936-S' marked coins are worth 35cents. These values are what you can be expected to be paid by a coin dealer for a coin in average condition - the sort of thing you'd find in a coin jar or shoebox in the attic etc. As previously mentioned, a coin in perfect condition with absolutely no scratches or wear could be worth 10 times as much.
One way to get more for your coin is to find someone who needs it more than a coin dealer does. Coin dealers are businessmen who are looking to buy your coin for as small an amount of money as possible, and then sell it on for as much as they can to collectors. You may want to consider finding coin auctions in your area and listing the item yourself. You could advertise it online, or even sell it on eBay and potentially receive more than its dealer value simply by undercutting the average dealer's resale cost and selling it to a collector who needs it to complete part of their collection. As is true of all collectible items, the value is always as great as your buyer decides.
