1917 Buffalo Nickel Value Checker: Errors List, “D”, “S” & No Mint Mark Worth

When you look at the full picture, 1917 Nickel value spans from $0.05 face value to $138,000 — a gap that comes down entirely to grade and variety. A Grade 67 example sold through Heritage Auctions in July 2008 set that high. Wondering what yours might be worth? Upload a photo below for a quick value range, then scroll down to browse recent eBay sales and see where collectors are landing today.

 

1917 Nickel Value By Variety

Here’s a quick breakdown of 1917 nickel values by mint mark and grade. If you already know your coin’s grade, jump to the **Value Guides** section below for exact pricing.

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

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1917 Nickel Worth Money

This chart covers auction results from 2001 to the present — the ten highest prices paid for 1917 Buffalo nickels across all mint marks, grades, and varieties.

The king of the hill is a 1917-S graded MS67 that brought $138,000 at a 2008 Heritage auction. It was the finest example certified by either PCGS or NGC at the time. Only one coin has ever reached MS67 at NGC, and none have gotten there at PCGS. That’s a true top-pop coin, and the market paid accordingly.

Most 1917-S nickels came off the press with weak strikes and chewed-up rims from worn dies. This particular coin was struck with extra die pressure to compensate for that wear, and it worked — the details came out sharp. That’s the kind of thing that separates a $138,000 coin from a $3,000 one.

The 1917 Philadelphia (MS68, $20,700) and 1917-D (MS67, $20,700) tied for the next spot. Both are top-pop coins from their respective mints. The huge gap between $20,700 and $138,000 tells you just how much rarer that lone MS67 S-mint survivor really is.

Two entries on the chart are die varieties rather than straight date-and-mint coins. The 1917 DDR FS-801 in MS64 hit $11,500, and the 1917-S 2 Feathers FS-401 in MS65 brought $7,920. The DDR shows visible doubling on the reverse lettering — a hubbing error from the die-making process. The “2 Feathers” variety is missing the smallest tail feather on the bison’s back, the result of a die clash that got polished away a little too aggressively. Both are catalogued, attributed varieties with their own dedicated following.

Three things drive value in this series: mint mark (S-mint coins are consistently rarer in high grades), certified population (top-pop coins command exponential premiums, not linear ones), and variety status (die errors create a whole separate tier of collectibility). Two 1917 nickels can look identical to the naked eye but differ by thousands of dollars if one carries a recognized variety attribution.

 

History of the 1917 Nickel

By 1917, the Buffalo nickel design had been in production for four years. James Earle Fraser’s design — a composite Native American portrait on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse — replaced the Liberty Head nickel in 1913 after President Theodore Roosevelt pushed hard for more artistic circulating coinage.

The original 1913 design had a flaw: the denomination “FIVE CENTS” wore off too quickly. A revision recessed the lettering below the bison’s feet, and that’s the version you’ll find on every 1917 issue.

Here’s a fun detail: Fraser modeled the bison after Black Diamond, a well-known resident of the Central Park Zoo in New York. The obverse portrait drew from three Native American chiefs — Iron Tail, Two Moons, and Big Tree — though Fraser told different versions of that story over the decades.

In 1917, the U.S. had just entered World War I, and coin demand was running high. Philadelphia cranked out over 51 million nickels. Denver produced 9,910,000. San Francisco struck just 4,193,000 — the lowest of the three. That small S-mint run, combined with years of hard circulation, is exactly why high-grade 1917-S nickels are so tough to find today.

The design’s legacy outlasted its production run. In 2006, the U.S. Mint used Fraser’s original artwork for the American Gold Buffalo — a fitting tribute to one of the most distinctly American coin designs ever produced.

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

 

Is Your 1917 Nickel Rare?

All three 1917 varieties rank among the rarest in the entire Buffalo Nickel series. The S-mint is the obvious standout, but even the Philadelphia issue is tougher than you’d expect given its 51-million mintage. Most of those coins circulated until the dates wore off. If yours still has a clear date and decent detail, you’re already ahead of the curve. To check exactly where your coin ranks, the Coin Identifier and Value App gives you instant access to rarity rankings, grade-by-grade values, and real auction data, so you always know exactly what you’re holding.

 

Key Features of the 1917 Nickel

The 1917 nickel is a Type 2 Buffalo Nickel, composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5 grams with a diameter of 21.2 mm and a plain, smooth edge. It was struck at three facilities: Philadelphia (no mint mark), Denver (D), and San Francisco (S), with Philadelphia recording a mintage of 51,424,019, Denver producing 9,910,000, and San Francisco striking 4,193,000 — the lowest of the three.

The Obverse of the 1917 Nickel

The obverse shows Fraser’s composite Native American portrait, drawn from multiple sitters whose exact identities he never fully settled on — he told different versions of the story for forty years.

The date 1917 sits over the truncation of the bust at the lower left. LIBERTY appears at roughly 2 o’clock on the rim. Fraser’s initial “F” is tucked below the date. One notable absence: there’s no IN GOD WE TRUST. Mint Director George Roberts told Fraser to leave it off — nothing on the coin beyond what was necessary.

For grading, focus on the cheekbone and the hair above the brow. Those are the first spots to lose detail. The date is equally vulnerable — it sits raised and exposed, so many circulated 1917 nickels show a faded or partially worn date. That alone can tank both identification and value.

The Reverse of the 1917 Nickel

Flip it over and you’ll see an American bison standing on a flat plain. FIVE CENTS is recessed below the animal. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs across the top, with E PLURIBUS UNUM underneath.

Technically, it’s a bison, not a buffalo — but “Buffalo nickel” stuck and nobody’s changing it now. On well-preserved examples, you can still see fur texture across the shoulder hump and hindquarters. That detail flattens fast with even moderate wear. The bison’s upper back is your key grading checkpoint on the reverse — it’s one of the first areas to go smooth.

Other Features of the 1917 Nickel

Strike quality and luster vary quite a bit across the three mints, and it’s worth knowing what to expect before you start evaluating. Philadelphia coins are usually very well struck, with satiny to frosty luster. The 1917-D is usually — but not always — well struck, with luster that tends toward satiny. The 1917-S is the surprise: unlike the weak S-mint strikes of the 1920s, many 1917-S coins came out with solid detail and attractive frosty luster.

Date loss is the biggest headache in this series. The date sits on a raised area right below the portrait, making it one of the first things to wear smooth. Plenty of 1917 nickels out there have faded or completely illegible dates, which kills collector value.

When you’re looking at any 1917 nickel, check three spots: the horn, the hair braid, and the bison’s back. Full horn detail and sharp braid lines command real premiums, especially on Denver and San Francisco coins. Strike sharpness at those points matters just as much as the grade on the slab.

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

 

1917 Nickel Mintage & Survival Data

Philadelphia struck 51,424,019 coins — more than five times Denver’s 9,910,000 and over twelve times San Francisco’s 4,193,000. Sounds like Philly coins should be everywhere, right? Not quite.

Over 60 million Buffalo nickels rolled off the presses in 1917, but millions spent decades in pockets and cash registers until their dates wore away completely. The survival numbers tell the real story: of those 51.4 million Philadelphia coins, roughly 10,000 survive in collectible condition. That’s a survival rate of just 0.0194%. To put it another way, for every 5,000 coins originally struck, one made it.

Denver, despite its much smaller mintage of 9.9 million, actually has a slightly higher survival rate of 0.0706%, with about 7,000 examples accounted for. The 1917-S has the highest survival rate at 0.1073%, with around 4,500 coins surviving from its 4.19 million mintage.

That seems backwards — the lowest mintage with the highest survival rate? It makes sense when you consider collector behavior. Even back then, people recognized S-mint coins as scarcer and tucked them away before heavy wear could destroy them. Philadelphia coins? Nobody thought twice. They went straight into circulation and stayed there.

In Gem condition, the 1917 Philadelphia is about as rare as the 1914, and rarer than the 1915, 1916, and 1919. Across all three mints, the pattern holds: original mintage and surviving population don’t move in lockstep. The coins that circulated hardest are often the toughest to find in grades that actually matter.

Also Read: Jefferson Nickel Value (1938-Present)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1917 Nickel Value

Three things determine your 1917 nickel’s value: mint mark, condition, and strike quality. Start by identifying the date and mint mark, then compare your coin against grading images. Use a single light source and a loupe — tilt the coin at different angles to catch subtle surface details.

On the obverse, check the cheekbone and hair above the brow. On the reverse, look at the bison’s upper back. Those wear first and affect the grade most. Once you’ve got a grade, match it against the value chart for your specific mint mark.

Getting good at this takes practice — and that’s where the Coin Identifier and Value App makes a difference, giving you instant grade-matched values, rarity rankings, and real auction data in one place, so you don’t have to guess.

 

1917 Nickel Value Guides

The 1917 nickel came from all three active mints, and which one you have matters more than anything else for value.

• 1917 No Mint Mark Nickel — the Philadelphia issue, generally the most available of the three and typically found with the sharpest strikes across the series
• 1917-D Nickel — the Denver issue, notable for being the transitional year in which two different D mintmark punches were used, meaning examples can be found with either the old or the new Denver mintmark style
• 1917-S Nickel — the San Francisco issue, the scarcest of the three in high grades and consistently the most sought-after by collectors; most 1917-S nickels suffer from weak strikes and pronounced die erosion, making well-struck specimens notably scarce

The gap between these three widens fast as grade increases. A circulated 1917-P and a circulated 1917-S might look similar at a glance, but in Mint State the difference in rarity and price is enormous.

 

1917 No Mint Mark Nickel Valve

With over 51 million struck, you’d think these would be easy to find in nice shape. They’re not. Circulation ate most of them alive.

In Fine to Very Fine condition, a 1917 no-mint-mark nickel typically runs $7 to $10 — a solid starting point if you’re building a date set on a budget. Coins in Good condition show heavy wear: the hair detail is mostly flat, the braid has merged into the surrounding area, and the date is hanging on but barely. Move up through Extremely Fine and into About Uncirculated, and detail comes back noticeably with prices climbing to match.

Mint State is where things get interesting. In Gem condition, the 1917 Philadelphia is about as rare as the 1914 and rarer than the 1915, 1916, and 1919. That puts it firmly in the scarce-to-rare category among early Philly issues. It also tends to be the best-struck of the three 1917 mints, which gives it a real edge in the upper Mint State grades where strike quality becomes a deal-breaker.

At the very top, a single MS68 example sold for $20,700 at auction. That’s what happens when you’re looking at one of maybe two or three coins in existence at that level. Even well below that ceiling, sharply struck examples with full horn detail and clean braid lines pull strong premiums over average-strike coins in the same grade.

To see exactly how the 1917 No Mint Mark nickel has performed at auction across different grades and years, the chart below breaks down realized prices in detail — giving you a clearer picture of what the market has actually paid, not just estimated values.

For a broader sense of how actively this coin trades and where collector interest is concentrated right now, the Market Activity section below tracks recent sales trends for the Philadelphia issue.

 

1917-D Nickel Value

Did you know the 1917-D used two different mintmark punches? Denver switched styles mid-year, so you can find examples with either the old or new D — a small detail, but one that variety collectors track closely.

With a mintage just under 10 million — roughly one-fifth of Philadelphia’s — the 1917-D starts scarcer right out of the gate. In circulated grades, expect to pay $50 or more, already a big step up from the Philly issue. A well-struck MS64 has recently sold for around $325. At the top of the census, a single MS67 — one of only two known at that level between PCGS and NGC — brought $20,700 at auction, matching the finest Philadelphia coin despite coming from a fraction of the original mintage.

Surface quality on these can vary quite a bit. You’ll see a mix of satiny and frosty textures depending on die state and re-polishing. The coins to hunt for are the ones with a full horn and a clean bison’s back — those two checkpoints separate a nice coin from a premium one. I think the 1917-D is one of the more underappreciated Denver issues in the series, especially in the MS63-MS65 range where sharp strikes still turn up at reasonable prices.

To see exactly how 1917-D prices have moved across grades and decades, the Auction Record Chart below gives you the full picture of what the market has actually paid.

And if you want a sense of where collector interest stands right now, the Market Activity section that follows tracks current trading trends for this issue.

 

1917-S Nickel Value

$30 for a heavily worn coin. $138,000 for the finest known. That’s the 1917-S in a nutshell.

Even a Good-condition example starts around $30, and a Very Fine coin typically trades near $140 — already several times what a comparable Philadelphia issue brings. Only 4,193,000 were struck, and most of those spent years getting beaten up in circulation before anyone thought to save them.

Here’s what makes the 1917-S interesting, though: it breaks the mold for S-mint Buffalo nickels. The San Francisco issues from the 1920s are notorious for mushy strikes, but a surprising number of 1917-S coins came out with solid detail and attractive frosty luster. Good examples exist — they’re just hard to find. In Mint State, an MS63 trades around $1,759 and an MS65 around $3,885. Above that, the certified population drops off a cliff.

At the summit sits that lone MS67 — the finest certified by either grading service — which sold for $138,000 at a 2008 Heritage auction. We think that price still looks justified given that no second example has surfaced at that grade in the fifteen-plus years since. Even a circulated 1917-S with a readable date and decent surfaces is worth paying attention to.

The Auction Record Chart below documents exactly how this coin has performed across grades and time, giving you a concrete look at realized prices rather than estimates.

The Market Activity section that follows tracks where collector interest in the 1917-S currently stands — useful context whether you’re buying, selling, or simply curious.

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

 

Rare 1917 Nickel Error List

The 1917 Buffalo nickel has several documented errors and die varieties worth knowing about. These aren’t damaged coins — each one is a specific production anomaly that happened at the die or planchet level, now catalogued and carrying its own market value.

1. 1917 Doubled Die Reverse (FS-801-802)

This is the big one for 1917 Philadelphia coins. It happened when the hub made a second, slightly misaligned impression on the working die — standard practice before modern single-squeeze hubbing. The result is visible doubling on the reverse lettering.

The FS-801 ranges from $225 to $7,500 depending on grade. An MS64 example hit $11,500 at auction — one of the top prices in the entire 1917 series. There’s also an FS-802 variety for this year. On the FS-802, the doubling shows up most clearly in E PLURIBUS UNUM, making it easier to spot with a loupe than some other doubled dies. That’s your first place to look when cherrypicking any raw 1917 Philly coin.

2. 1917 Two Feathers FS-401 (Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco)

This one’s a die clash casualty. When two dies slammed together without a planchet between them, the clash could damage the area near the smallest feather on the headdress. A mint worker would then polish the die to remove the clash marks — and sometimes polished away the feather too. The result: only two feathers instead of three, with the shortest one (closest to the neck) completely gone.

All three mints produced Two Feathers coins in 1917. The S-mint version is the scarcest. The 1917-S Two Feathers FS-401 trades between $45 and $4,440, while the Philadelphia version brought $7,920 in MS65. To check for this variety, look at the space between the long top feather and the braid. On a genuine Two Feathers coin, that area is completely smooth — no trace of a third feather.

3. 1917-D 3-1/2 Legs FS-901

If you collect the famous 1937-D 3-Leg nickel, you’ll want this one too. Denver’s die polishers got a little aggressive and partially ground away one of the bison’s front legs, creating the 3½ Legs variety (FS-901). Collectors building a set around that iconic 1937-D error naturally seek out the 1917-D version as a companion piece.

Prices range from $90 to $4,560 — accessible at the low end, rewarding at the top. The key to authentication: the affected leg looks faded or incomplete mid-shaft, not cleanly absent. That’s what separates a genuine die-polishing variety from a coin that just wore unevenly in someone’s pocket.

3. 1917 Nickel Die Crack Error

Die cracks are easy to spot and fun to collect. They happen when a working die fractures from repeated striking stress. Metal flows into the crack during each strike, leaving a raised, irregular line across the coin’s surface.

On 1917 nickels, die cracks most commonly run across the upper obverse, cutting through the headdress or across the field above the portrait. A minor crack adds modest collector interest without moving the needle much on value. A bold crack running across major design elements? That’s a different story. Coins showing crack progression across multiple die states are especially interesting to specialists — they document the working life of a specific die from start to finish.

4. 1917 Nickel Lamination Flaw Error

Lamination flaws show up when gas, grease, or dirt gets trapped inside the metal during alloy preparation. That creates a weak spot that can peel, flake, or crack under striking pressure. The coin shown above has a rectangular area where the metal buckled rather than lying flat — a disturbance that originated at the planchet stage before the coin was ever struck.

Big laminations with visible peeling across key design elements attract serious error collector interest. Minor ones add character without commanding much of a premium.

5. 1917 Nickel Split Planchet After Strike Error

This is one of the more dramatic errors you can find on a Buffalo nickel. A coin that split after striking shows a normal design on one side and a rough, blank surface on the other. It’ll also weigh noticeably less than a standard 5-gram example. The cause is internal weakness in the alloy — voids or inclusions that go undetected during planchet prep, then give way under striking pressure.

The 75/25 copper-nickel composition of Buffalo nickels makes them more prone to this than modern clad coins. For 1917 specifically, a mated pair — both halves of a single split coin preserved together — graded NGC Mint Error MS64 realized $1,260 in June 2023. Mated pairs are the holy grail of this error type. They prove beyond any doubt that both pieces came from one coin.

6. 1917 Nickel Off-Center Strike Error

Off-center errors happen when the planchet shifts in the collar before the dies close. Part of the design gets cut off, and the struck portion ends up displaced from center. Two things determine value: how far off-center it is, and whether the date survived.

A coin struck 25% off-center with a complete, readable date is worth far more than one struck 40% off-center with the date missing — because without the date, you can’t attribute it. For 1917 examples with visible dates, prices typically start in the low hundreds and climb based on how dramatic the misalignment looks.

 

Where to Sell Your 1917 Nickel?

After determining what your coins are worth, you’re probably wondering about convenient online selling options. I’ve researched and compiled a guide to the best platforms, outlining their services, pros, and cons.

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

 

1917 Nickel Market Trend

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

 

FAQ about the 1917 Nickel

1. How do I find the mint mark on my 1917 nickel?

Flip it over and look just below “FIVE CENTS,” beneath the bison’s hooves. A “D” means Denver, an “S” means San Francisco, and no letter means Philadelphia. Small detail, big impact on value.

2. My 1917 nickel has no date — does it still have value?

Unfortunately, not much. A dateless Buffalo nickel is worth a dollar or two at best — melt or novelty value. The date sits on a raised area that wore down fast in circulation, and without it, the coin can’t be attributed or graded. You can try Nic-A-Date solution to chemically reveal a faded date, but know that the process permanently alters the surface and kills any remaining collector premium.

3. Should I clean my 1917 nickel?

Don’t do it. Cleaning reduces value and can cause permanent damage. Collectors want natural patina and unaltered surfaces. Even a gentle cloth wipe can leave hairline scratches that graders will catch under magnification.

If your coin has gunk on it, a passive acetone soak removes organic residue without touching the metal. But for anything of real value, talk to a professional conservator first.

4. How do I know if my 1917 nickel is genuine?

Altered coins are a real problem in this series — added mintmarks on common Philly coins, tooled varieties, the usual tricks. Start with weight: a genuine 1917 nickel should weigh exactly 5.0 grams.

One known counterfeit examined by NGC came in at 5.4 grams — nearly 10% heavy — with the wrong metal composition (too much zinc, too little nickel). Watch for bubbled or uneven date digits, concentric lines on the rim, and mintmarks that look slightly raised or misaligned compared to reference photos.

5. What does “strike quality” mean, and why does it matter for my 1917 nickel?

Strike quality is how completely the design transferred from die to coin during minting. A well-struck coin shows sharp detail in the bison’s horn, the hair braid above the ear, and the fur texture along the bison’s hump. A weakly struck coin can look worn even in Mint State because those details never fully formed.

For the 1917 series, strike quality can shift the value of two same-grade coins by a meaningful margin. Always check before you assume a grade.

6. Is the 1917 nickel a good coin to start collecting?

Absolutely. A well-worn Philadelphia example costs under $20, so the barrier to entry is low. As you learn to spot mint marks, grading points, and known varieties, the 1917 date gives you a natural progression — from a common circulated Philly coin all the way up to the elusive S-mint in higher grades, with die varieties in between that reward careful examination.

7. What’s the connection between the 1917 nickel and the 1918/7-D overdate?

In late 1917, Philadelphia was making dies for both 1917 and 1918 coinage under heavy wartime production pressure. One obverse die that had already been hubbed with a 1917 master got a second hubbing from a 1918 hub — and the second impression didn’t fully erase the earlier date. The “7” is still visible beneath the “8.” That single die shipped to Denver and ran until it retired, making every genuine 1918/7-D traceable to one manufacturing decision made under World War I pressure.

8. How should I store my 1917 nickel to preserve its condition?

Use acid-free holders, store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight, and always handle by the edges. Avoid PVC-based plastic flips — they off-gas over time and leave a green, sticky residue that damages surfaces. Mylar flips or hard plastic holders from reputable suppliers are the safe long-term choice.

9. Is it worth getting my 1917 nickel professionally graded?

Depends on what you’ve got. A heavily worn Philadelphia coin in Good to Fine? The grading fee will probably cost more than the coin is worth. But any Mint State example, a well-preserved S-mint, or a coin you think carries a recognized variety? Absolutely send it in. PCGS or NGC slabbing establishes authenticity, locks in the grade, and makes the coin much easier to sell down the road.

10. Where is the best place to sell a 1917 nickel?

For common circulated examples, a local dealer or established online marketplace gets the job done quickly. For higher-grade or variety coins — anything in Mint State, a certified DDR, Two Feathers, or S-mint in collectible condition — consider Heritage Auctions or Stack’s Bowers. Competitive bidding among specialists consistently beats fixed-price sales. Either way, know your coin’s current market value before you walk into any negotiation.