1919 Nickel Value Checker: Errors List, “D”, “S” & No Mint Mark Worth

What you can get for a 1919 Nickel value depends heavily on grade — it stretches from $0.05 face value all the way to $109,250. A Grade 66 example sold through Heritage Auctions in October 2006 set that high. Upload a photo of yours below to get a quick value range, then scroll down to check recent eBay sales and see what collectors are actually paying today.

 

1919 Nickel Value By Variety

Three mints struck the 1919 Buffalo Nickel — Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. If you already know your coin’s grade, jump straight to the Value Guides section below for exact pricing.

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

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1919 Nickel Worth Money

The 1919-S in MS-66 owns the top spot at $109,250 — more than double the $49,200 an MS-65 brought. That’s the kind of jump you see when only four coins exist at a grade. Once you set the S-Mint aside, Philadelphia and Denver top out around $19,975 at MS-66 and MS-67, running neck and neck.

There’s a solid floor at MS-64 across the board. The 1919-D sits at $3,683, the 1919-S at $4,935, and even the scarce 2 Feathers FS-401 variety at $5,581. The real money kicks in at MS-65 and goes vertical at MS-66. That’s classic Buffalo Nickel behavior — condition rarity, not mintage, is what separates a nice coin from a five-figure coin.

 

History of the 1919 Nickel

By 1919, the Buffalo Nickel design had been running for six years. The Mint knew the dies wore out fast. Design tweaks in 1913 and 1916 hadn’t solved the problem. So plenty of 1919 nickels came off the press already looking soft — struck from tired dies with mushy detail from day one.

Nobody was saving these. They went straight into cash registers and pockets, got worn down, and disappeared. Each mint tells a different story. Philadelphia coins tend to be well struck with satiny luster. Denver and San Francisco? Much tougher.

That uneven survival is exactly why condition drives value so hard across all three varieties today.

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

 

Is Your 1919 Nickel Rare?

You can buy most 1919 Buffalo Nickels for a few bucks. But the S-mint in high grade? That’s a completely different kind of rare — one of the toughest condition rarities in the entire series. The gap between a circulated example and a Gem is enormous. To see where yours falls, check the Coin Identifier and Value App for an instant assessment.

 

Key Features of the 1919 Nickel

Here’s what to look for when you’re examining a 1919 Buffalo Nickel — every detail matters for grading and value.

The Obverse of the 1919 Nickel

The obverse shows a right-facing Native American chief — Fraser’s composite portrait based on three real individuals. He wears three feathers in his hair with a braid running down the side.

LIBERTY sits near the upper-right rim. The date is struck on the raised neck truncation, with Fraser’s “F” initial incused just below it.

Pay attention to that date placement. It sits on a high-relief zone, so it’s one of the first things to wear off. A sharp, fully readable “1919” tells you a lot about the coin’s overall preservation right away.

The Reverse of the 1919 Nickel

Flip it over and you’ll see a left-facing bison standing on a raised mound.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs above. E PLURIBUS UNUM is squeezed into the tight space between the legend and the bison’s back, stacked three lines high. FIVE CENTS appears on the mound below.

Look beneath the denomination for the mint mark. “D” means Denver, “S” means San Francisco. No letter? That’s Philadelphia.

Other Features of the 1919 Nickel

The edge is plain — no reeding. That’s standard for the entire Buffalo Nickel series.

The coin is struck in an alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel, measures 21.2 mm in diameter, and weighs 5 grams. Notably, “IN GOD WE TRUST” does not appear on the coin.

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

 

1919 Nickel Mintage & Survival Data

Philadelphia struck nearly eight times as many coins as San Francisco in 1919. You’d think that means way more survivors. It doesn’t.

Philadelphia’s survival rate actually sits below 0.02% — lower than either branch mint. All those Philly coins went straight into heavy circulation and got spent into oblivion. Denver and San Francisco survive at roughly three times that rate, not because anyone saved them, but because fewer existed to lose in the first place.

Combined survivors across all three mints number in the low tens of thousands. The 1919-D and 1919-S, each with an estimated 5,000 survivors, are among the most tightly supplied issues in the entire Buffalo Nickel series. A Mint State example of either one sits in an incredibly thin band of supply against steady collector demand. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Also Read: Jefferson Nickel Value (1938-Present)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1919 Nickel Value

Grade is where the real separation happens. On a 1919-S or 1919-D, the jump from MS-63 to MS-65 can mean thousands of dollars. A well-struck example with a full horn commands even more on top of that.

For a fast, accurate starting point, the Coin Identifier and Value App cross-references mint mark, grade, and current market data to give you a reliable value range instantly.

 

1919 Nickel Value Guides

• 1919 No Mint Mark (Philadelphia)
• 1919-D (Denver)
• 1919-S (San Francisco)

Philadelphia leads in mintage but trails in survival rate. Denver and San Francisco struck far fewer coins and are considerably scarcer in high grades. The 1919-S is a true condition rarity at the Gem level — only a handful of slabbed examples exist.

 

1919 No Mint Mark Nickel Value

If you’re building a date set on a budget, this is your starting point. The Philadelphia coin is the most available 1919 issue — but “available” is relative when we’re talking about a coin over 100 years old.

According to PCGS CoinFacts, the 1919 Philadelphia issue is usually well struck with satiny luster rather than the harder, grainier surfaces you see on branch-mint coins from this era. It’s comparable in rarity to other Philly Buffalos from 1913 to 1917 in Mint State. The 1918 and 1920–1924 issues are actually tougher, making 1919 a sweet spot for collectors.

Check the cheek just below the eye on the obverse and the bison’s hip on the reverse. Those are your first wear points. A coin sharp at both spots is already better than most survivors you’ll encounter. At the top end, an MS67+ example brought $19,975 at Stack’s Bowers in November 2016.

Here is a look at how top-grade Philadelphia examples have performed at major auction houses.

Below is a breakdown of how the Philadelphia issue has traded across grades over the past year.

 

1919-D Nickel Value

Here’s a fact that surprises most collectors: in Gem condition, the 1919-D is the rarest Denver Mint Buffalo Nickel of the entire 1913–1919 era. Mintage numbers alone won’t tell you that.

Surviving Mint State examples tend to show luster between satiny and frosty. Unlike the chronically weak S-Mint strikes that dominate the condition rarity conversation, most 1919-D Mint State survivors actually have decent strikes. When a sharp one surfaces, it tends to be genuinely attractive — not just a technically graded coin that looks flat.

That combination of real scarcity and eye appeal is what pushed an MS66+ to $19,975 at Legend Rare Coin Auctions in December 2016.

The following records trace what collectors have actually paid for the finest known Denver examples over the past two decades.

This chart reflects recent market behavior for the Denver issue, where condition drives price more sharply than mintage alone would suggest.

 

1919-S Nickel Value

$109,250 for a nickel. That’s what a single 1919-S in MS-66 brought at Heritage Auctions in October 2006, and it still anchors the market for this issue.

The San Francisco Mint’s die quality during this period was awful. Coins came off the press looking soft — worn dies, weak pressure, mushy detail from the start. The horn is your tell. A full, crisp horn tip is the clearest sign of a well-struck 1919-S, and most examples just don’t have one.

The PCGS population data spells it out: only 41 examples certified at MS65, 7 at MS65+, and just 4 at MS66 — with none recorded above that. Price guide values climb accordingly: $12,000 at MS65, $40,000 at MS65+, $90,000 at MS66, and $115,000 at MS66+. We’re talking about a coin where you can practically count every Gem example on your fingers.

Few Buffalo Nickel auction histories are as concentrated at the top as this one — here is what the realized prices reveal.

Given how few certified Gem examples exist, even modest shifts in demand register visibly in the data — here is what the past year’s activity looks like.

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

 

Rare 1919 Nickel Error List

The 1919 Buffalo Nickel isn’t known for wild die varieties, but a couple of errors are absolutely worth cherrypicking for.

1. 1919 DDO FS-101 (Doubled Die Obverse)

This is the big one for 1919. A Doubled Die Obverse happens when the hub strikes the working die more than once with slight misalignment. Every coin from that die carries the doubled image.

On the 1919 FS-101, look at the date and the LIBERTY inscription under magnification — that’s where the doubling shows. Here’s the key: genuine hub doubling produces raised, rounded secondary elements. The far more common mechanical doubling leaves a flat, shelf-like shadow. If it looks smeared rather than fully formed, it’s mechanical and worth nothing extra.

Greysheet prices the 1919 DDO FS-101 in the $10,000–$12,000 range. Get it slabbed before you sell. The premium here is entirely about the die variety — the base Philadelphia date is common enough on its own.

2. 1919 Two Feathers FS-401

This one’s fun to cherrypick because it’s easy to spot once you know the trick. Look at the headdress under magnification. A normal coin shows three feathers. On the Two Feathers variety, the innermost feather — the short one tucked between the neck and the longest feather — is partially or completely gone.

What happened? Mint workers over-polished the die in that zone and erased the third feather. The best examples show zero trace of it. Coins with a small remnant still count but sit in a lower tier.

This variety exists across all three 1919 mints. PCGS recognizes 27 distinct Two Feathers varieties across the Buffalo Nickel series, all from the 1913–1930 production window. Values vary by mint: the Philadelphia FS-401 auction record stands at $5,581 for an MS64 at Heritage Auctions in 2013, while the 1919-D topped at $432 for an XF40 and the 1919-S at $660 for a VF35, both realized at Heritage Auctions in 2019.

 

Where to Sell Your 1919 Nickel?

With your 1919 nickels’ value established, finding reliable online selling venues becomes the priority. I’ve created a comprehensive overview of trusted sites, highlighting their offerings, advantages, and potential drawbacks.

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

 

1919 Nickel Market Trend

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

 

FAQ about the 1919 Nickel

1. How do I know which mint struck my 1919 Buffalo Nickel?

Check the reverse side directly below the “FIVE CENTS” inscription. A “D” indicates Denver, an “S” indicates San Francisco, and no mint mark means Philadelphia — which did not use a mark until the 1940s.

2. My 1919 nickel has no visible date. Is it still worth anything?

Typically under $1. The date sits on a high-relief area and wears off fast. Acid date-restoration treatments exist but produce an altered coin that most collectors and dealers won’t pay a meaningful premium for.

3. What does “Full Horn” mean, and why does it matter on a 1919 nickel?

The buffalo’s horn is the highest-relief point on the reverse — first thing to wear. “Full Horn” means the horn is completely visible from tip to base with clear separation from the head. On branch-mint issues like the 1919-D and 1919-S, a full horn can multiply value several times over compared to the same technical grade with a weak horn.

4. Is the 1919-S genuinely rare, or is it just expensive because collectors want it?

The scarcity is real. PCGS has certified only 4 examples at MS66, and none higher. Low original output, poor die quality at San Francisco, and a century of circulation mean well-preserved examples are genuinely scarce — not just trendy.

5. What is the difference between the 1919 DDO and ordinary mechanical doubling?

Genuine hub doubling on the FS-101 shows raised, rounded secondary elements on the date and LIBERTY, visible under magnification. Mechanical doubling leaves a flat, shelf-like shadow. If the secondary image looks smeared rather than fully formed, it’s mechanical and worth no premium.

6. Should I clean my 1919 Buffalo Nickel before selling it?

Never. Cleaning destroys original surfaces, removes patina, and introduces hairlines. PCGS and NGC will give a cleaned coin a details grade instead of a numeric one. That kills your resale value regardless of how nice the underlying coin is.

7. Is it worth submitting my 1919 nickel to PCGS or NGC for grading?

Depends on the coin. A beat-up Philly issue worth under $50? Probably not — the grading fee eats the value. But any branch-mint coin in AU or better, any suspected Two Feathers or DDO variety, or anything that looks MS-63 or above? Absolutely worth submitting. The slab pays for itself.

8. Why do the 1919-D and 1919-S command such high premiums over the Philadelphia issue at the same grade?

Lower production and thinner survival compound each other. Philadelphia had roughly seven to eight times the output of either branch mint. More coins entered circulation, more got lost. Branch-mint issues also suffered from weaker strikes, further shrinking the pool of high-grade survivors.

9. What is the Two Feathers variety, and how do I spot it on a 1919 nickel?

Look at the headdress on the obverse under magnification. A standard coin shows three feathers. On the Two Feathers variety, the innermost feather — the short one between the neck and the longest feather — is missing due to die over-polishing. The best examples show no remnant at all. This variety exists on all three 1919 mint issues.

10. How does the 1919 nickel compare in importance to other years in the Buffalo Nickel series?

The Philadelphia issue is mid-tier — easier than the 1918 or 1920–1924 Philly coins in high grades, but not common. The 1919-D is the rarest Denver issue of the entire 1913–1919 era in Gem condition. The 1919-S ranks alongside the toughest San Francisco issues from the 1918–1927 stretch — the heart of the Buffalo Nickel market’s upper tier.