1916 Nickel Value Checker: Errors List, “D”, “S” & No Mint Mark Worth

Few people realize how far 1916 Nickel value can climb — from $0.05 face value all the way up to $281,750. That record belongs to a Grade 64 DDO example sold through Bowers and Merena in August 2004. Upload a photo of yours below to get a quick value range, then scroll down to check recent eBay sales and see what buyers are paying right now.

 

1916 Nickel Value By Variety

The mint mark on your 1916 Buffalo Nickel is the single biggest factor in what it’s worth. Denver and San Francisco coins pull higher premiums than Philadelphia strikes at almost every grade level.

If you know the grade of your coin, you can find the exact price below in the Value Guides section.

Also Read: Top 60+ Most Valuable Buffalo Nickels Worth Money

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1916 Nickel Worth Money

The DDO completely dominates this list. The top four spots all belong to Doubled Die Obverse examples — MS 64, MS 62, MS 63, and the FS-101 at MS 63 — with prices ranging from $138,000 to $281,750. That’s a huge gap driven by just one or two grade points on the same variety.

Drop down to AU and lower Mint State DDOs, and you’re still looking at serious money. The MS 61 brought $59,925, and an AU 58 hit $51,923. Even the 1916 Proof cracked the top ten — a PR 68 sold for $43,125, proving that a non-error coin in extraordinary condition can still compete with the heavy hitters.

 

History Of The 1916 Nickel

By 1916, the Buffalo Nickel was in its fourth year of production. James Earle Fraser’s design — a Native American portrait on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse — had already won over the public when it replaced Charles E. Barber’s Liberty Head in 1913.

That year, Fraser made small tweaks to improve die life. He flattened some high points and repositioned the denomination slightly. The result was a crisper, more durable strike.

Outside the Mint, the world was changing fast. World War I was reshaping global politics, and American industry was booming. The Buffalo Nickel kept circulating as a pocket-sized reminder of a rougher, older America — one that plenty of people wanted to hold onto.

One fun detail: 1916 was one of the last years the Mint produced Matte Proof Buffalo Nickels. They wouldn’t make another Proof nickel for two decades. That alone makes the 1916 issue a standout in the full series timeline.

Also Read: Top 100 Rarest Nickels Worth Money (Most Expensive)

 

Is Your 1916 Nickel Rare?

Here’s what trips people up: Philadelphia had the biggest mintage by far, but that doesn’t automatically make every Philly coin common. In high grades, the No Mint Mark coin gets genuinely scarce — only one has ever graded MS68. Meanwhile, the Denver and San Francisco issues are tougher across the board, and any DDO is flat-out rare regardless of condition. The Proof, with just 600 struck, is a completely different kind of rare.

Want a quick answer for your specific coin? Use our Coin Identifier and Value App to check its rarity in seconds.

 

Key Features Of The 1916 Nickel

Knowing what to look for on both sides of this coin helps you figure out what you’ve got and how it grades. Here’s a quick walkthrough.

The Obverse Of The 1916 Nickel

The obverse shows a large bust of a Native American warrior. Fraser based the portrait on a composite of three real individuals.

Look for the date at the lower left and LIBERTY above the portrait. On the 1916 issue, LIBERTY was sharpened and shifted slightly toward center compared to earlier years. That gives the ’16 a noticeably crisper look — you can spot it once you know what to compare it to.

The Reverse Of The 1916 Nickel

Flip it over and you’ll see the American Bison standing on a solid mound. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA wraps around the top, FIVE CENTS sits beneath the bison, and E PLURIBUS UNUM runs above.

That flat mound was a design fix from 1913. The original raised mound caused the denomination to wear off almost immediately in circulation.

Other Features Of The 1916 Nickel

Check below FIVE CENTS on the reverse for the mint mark. A “D” means Denver, an “S” means San Francisco, and no mark means Philadelphia. Proof versions with a matte satin finish were also struck in 1916 — the last year of Matte Proof production before a long gap in the series.

Also Read: Top 100 Most Valuable Jefferson Nickels Worth Money List (1938-Present)

 

1916 Nickel Mintage & Survival Data

Philadelphia cranked out 63,498,066 nickels in 1916. Denver made 13,333,000, and San Francisco produced 11,860,000. Only 600 Proofs were struck.

Now here’s the counterintuitive part. Philadelphia made five times more coins than Denver, yet only about 15,000 survive today — a survival rate of just 0.0236%. That’s roughly one survivor for every 4,200 coins originally minted. Denver and San Francisco actually survive at slightly higher rates (0.075% and 0.0632%), likely because fewer were dumped into heavy commercial circulation.

The Proofs are a different world entirely. An estimated 525 of the original 600 still exist — an 87.5% survival rate. Collectors bought them, and collectors kept them safe.

Also Read: Jefferson Nickel Value (1938-Present)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1916 Nickel Value

Three things determine your coin’s value: mint mark, grade, and variety. A beat-up Philadelphia strike sits at the bottom of the range. A high-grade Denver or a DDO example? That’s a different conversation entirely.

Don’t guess. Download our Coin Identifier and Value App to identify your coin’s variety and get an estimated value instantly.

 

1916 Nickel Value Guides

Four main types to know. Three circulation strikes plus the Proof.

1916 No Mint Mark Nickel — The Philadelphia strike. With a record-setting mintage for a nickel five-cent coin at the time, this is the easiest 1916 variety to find in most grades. It’s the natural starting point if you’re building a Buffalo Nickel set.

1916-D Nickel — Denver’s output was a fraction of Philly’s. Any Buffalo Nickel from the teens with a readable date and a “D” mint mark gets attention. Higher-grade pieces are genuinely scarce and bring strong money.

1916-S Nickel — San Francisco’s mintage was close to Denver’s, and the collector profile is similar. The “S” mint mark adds a reliable premium, especially on well-preserved examples.

1916 Proof Nickel — Matte Proofs ran from 1913 through 1916, and the 1916 had the lowest mintage of the bunch at just 600 coins. These were never meant for circulation and most were carefully stored. A distinct, highly desirable category.

I think the 1916 date is one of the most interesting in the whole Buffalo series — you’ve got an affordable entry point with the Philly coin, genuine branch-mint scarcity, a world-class DDO error, and the final Matte Proof all in the same year.

 

1916 No Mint Mark Nickel Value

Here’s a coin that looks common until you try to find one in top condition. Philadelphia struck 63,498,066 of these — the highest 1916 mintage by a mile. In circulated grades, you’ll have no trouble finding one. Same goes for mid-range Mint State pieces up through MS65.

Most examples come well struck with satiny luster. But conditional scarcity kicks in hard at MS67 and above. As of early 2025, exactly one coin has graded MS68. One. Out of 63 million struck.

That lone MS68 sold at Heritage Auctions in January 2012 for $14,375 — proof that even a “common” date can bring serious money when the coin is truly exceptional.

Auction prices for the 1916 No Mint Mark Nickel have moved around over the years, with higher-grade pieces occasionally posting standout results.

Trading volume has stayed fairly consistent month to month.

 

1916-D Nickel Value

If you’ve got a readable “D” on a teens-era Buffalo Nickel, pay attention. Denver struck just 13,333,000 in 1916 — roughly one-fifth of Philadelphia’s output. That gap shows up directly in pricing.

The coin is scarce in circulated grades. Scarce in Mint State. In Gem MS65 or better, it’s very scarce — on par with other key Denver dates from the mid-teens. Most survivors show solid strikes with satin-like luster that holds up nicely.

The auction record sits at $24,675 for an MS66+ example, sold at Heritage Auctions in January 2014. The top end of this date gets competitive fast.

Higher-grade examples drive the bigger results at auction, with prices showing notable variation across the grade spectrum.

Collector interest in this Denver issue has stayed steady, with consistent trading activity month over month.

 

1916-S Nickel Value

A common misconception: people assume the lowest-mintage circulation strike is always the hardest to find. Not quite. The 1916-S had a mintage of 11,860,000 — the smallest of the three — but in circulated grades, it’s actually the least rare San Francisco Buffalo Nickel from 1913 to 1919.

Where it gets interesting is in Gem condition. At MS65 and above, the 1916-S becomes rarer than the 1913-S Type 2, 1914-S, and 1915-S. That’s where cherrypicking a nice raw example at a show could really pay off.

The auction record has stood for over two decades: $26,450 for an MS67, sold through Bowers & Merena in January 2003. Nobody’s topped it since.

Gem-grade examples consistently pull the strongest bids, while results across other grades have been uneven.

This is a selective market. Quality pieces generate the most activity when they surface.

 

1916 Proof Nickel Value

Only 600 struck. That’s the lowest Proof mintage in the entire Buffalo Nickel series. And the actual survivor count is probably lower — the Mint is believed to have melted unsold pieces when they stopped Proof sales at the end of 1916.

Most slabbed examples fall in the PR64 to PR66 range. PR67 coins exist but are scarce. Combined PR68 certifications from the major services number fewer than a dozen. The matte finish is beautiful but unforgiving — every bag mark and contact point shows.

The auction record is $43,125 for a PR68, sold through Heritage Auctions in December 2008. We think this is one of the most underappreciated key dates in the entire series.

Prices have trended upward over time, pushed by the tiny surviving population.

These coins rarely change hands, so month-to-month market activity is naturally thin.

Also Read: 22 Rare Nickel Errors List with Pictures (By Year)

 

Rare 1916 Nickel Error List

The 1916 Buffalo Nickel has several die varieties worth hunting for. Some come from abraded dies, others from hub doubling — but each one adds real value over a standard strike.

1. 1916 Nickel No F, FS-401

Look near the date on the obverse. Normally you’ll see Fraser’s small “F” initial there. On this variety, it’s gone — polished right off the die by Mint workers. Unlike most No F varieties in the series, the 1916 version is classified as a Regular Variety rather than a Minor Variety. That gives it a stronger standing in registry sets.

The auction record is $1,675 for an MS65 example, sold on eBay in July 2021.

2. 1916 Nickel 2 Feathers, FS-402

Count the feathers in the headdress. You should see three. On this variety, die abrasion wiped out one of them, leaving only two clearly visible. Attribution is strict — if even a trace of the third feather remains, it usually won’t qualify. This is a scarce variety that appeals mostly to die variety specialists.

3. 1916 Nickel Doubled Die Obverse (DDO)

This is the big one. The most valuable doubled die in the entire Buffalo Nickel series. You can see the doubling with your naked eye — look at the date numerals and the mouth area of the portrait. Somewhere between 200 and 500 survive, mostly in mid-range circulated grades.

Uncirculated examples? Fewer than two dozen known. The FS-101 is the primary attributed subvariety. MS64 is the top-pop grade, and one example crossed $250,000 at auction in 2013. If you think you’ve found one, get it authenticated immediately.

4. 1916-D Nickel 3½ Leg, FS-901

Everyone knows the 1937-D 3-Legged Nickel. Far fewer know about this one. On the 1916-D, Mint workers polished the reverse die to remove clash marks and nearly erased the bison’s right front leg in the process. It’s a legitimate, recognized variety — just way under the radar.

The auction record is $805 for an AU53 example, sold in July 2018. Examples in any grade are genuinely scarce and don’t come up often.

 

Where To Sell Your 1916 Nickel?

If you’re ready to sell your 1916 Buffalo Nickel, choosing the right platform makes a real difference. We’ve put together a detailed guide on the best places to sell coins online, covering the pros and cons of each option, so you can make the most informed decision.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)  

 

1916 Nickel Market Trend

*Market Trend Chart showing the number of people paying attention to this coin.

 

FAQ About The 1916 Nickel

1. What is the 1916 Nickel value?

It depends on mint mark, grade, and variety. A Philadelphia coin in Good condition averages around $6.05. Denver or San Francisco pieces in Mint State can reach well into four figures. Top DDO examples have sold for over $250,000.

2. How do I know which mint struck my 1916 Nickel?

Flip the coin over and look just below FIVE CENTS. A “D” means Denver, an “S” means San Francisco, and no mark means Philadelphia. Philly made the most by far — over 63 million struck that year.

3. Is the 1916 Buffalo Nickel rare?

The Philadelphia issue is common in circulated grades. Denver and San Francisco coins are scarcer, especially in higher grades. The Proof, with only 600 struck, is genuinely rare. Any DDO is rare regardless of grade.

4. What makes the 1916 DDO so valuable?

The doubling is visible to the naked eye — check the date and portrait area. Only an estimated 200 to 500 survive, and uncirculated specimens number fewer than two dozen. Dramatic eye appeal plus extreme rarity equals big auction prices.

5. What is the highest grade known for the 1916 No Mint Mark Nickel?

As of early 2025, just one example has been certified at MS68. Out of 63 million+ struck, that’s it. That single MS68 sold at Heritage Auctions in January 2012 for $14,375.

6. What is the 1916-D 3½ Leg variety?

Mint workers polished the reverse die to remove clash marks and accidentally wore away most of the bison’s right front leg. It’s far less famous than the 1937-D 3-Legged Nickel but is a legitimate recognized variety. Examples are scarce and rarely offered.

7. Were any Proof 1916 Nickels made?

Yes — 600 were struck at Philadelphia, making it the lowest-mintage Proof in the series. Many unsold pieces were likely melted when the Mint suspended Proof sales that year. Fewer survive than the original mintage suggests.

8. What is the 1916 No F variety?

Fraser’s “F” initial near the date was polished off the die. Catalogued as FS-401, the 1916 No F is classified as a Regular Variety — a more established status than most No F issues in the Buffalo series.

9. How does the 1916 Nickel fit into the Buffalo Nickel series?

It’s the fourth year of the series (1913–1938). Minor design refinements improved strike quality that year. More importantly, 1916 was the final year of Matte Proof production — they wouldn’t make another Proof nickel for two decades.

10. Is the 1916 Buffalo Nickel a good coin to collect?

There’s something here for every level. The Philadelphia issue is affordable in circulated grades — a great starting point. For advanced collectors, the Denver, San Francisco, DDO, and Proof issues all present real challenges. Long-term collector demand has been consistently strong.