How to Find the Value of a Buffalo Nickel With No Date

Buffalo nickels are fun to collect, but if you can't find a date on your coin, it can be hard to determine the value. Many sources can estimate values for buffalo nickels with key dates and values for the "S" and "D" mint mark varieties. But how do you determine how much a buffalo nickel is worth if it does not have the date imprinted on it?

Did the Date Wear Off?

The date markings on many buffalo nickels have worn off because the dates were placed on a raised portion of the design, on the front of the coin near the edge, on the Native American's shoulder. Given that these nickels circulated heavily for decades, wear and tear was prevalent and caused the date on many coins to rub off.

If the date is not present on a buffalo nickel, the coin will not carry a numismatic premium. A coin collector must know the date to determine the rarity and value of the nickel. For example, undated buffalo nickels are worth about $0.06 each, but only because people use them for jewelry, shirt buttons, and other uses. All other types of nickels without dates are pretty much only worth face value.

What Does an "F" on a Buffalo Nickel Mean?

The letter "F" you see on the "heads" side of a buffalo nickel, under the place where the date should be, stands for the designer's last name (James Earl Fraser). All buffalo nickels have the designer's initials on them regardless of the mint facility where they were manufactured. Sometimes the "F" has not worn off, but again, because of wear and tear, it may no longer appear.

Buffalo Nickel Mint Mark

If your nickel has a mint mark, it will be under the buffalo on the reverse ("tails") side of the coin, below the words FIVE CENTS. If the Philadelphia Mint produced the coin, there is no mint mark. The letter "D" indicates the Denver Mint facility, and "S" stands for San Francisco Mint. However, these nickels are susceptible to unscrupulous people trying to add a mint mark to a common date coin to increase its value. Before spending big dollars on a rare buffalo nickel, make sure a reputable coin dealer authenticates it.

Recovering the Date

Sometimes it is possible to recover the date on a no-date buffalo nickel by putting a drop of ferric chloride on the spot where the date used to be. This extremely toxic chemical is called a "date restorer" and is sold under the trade name of Nic-A-Date.

Although it can cause the date to reappear on a no-date buffalo nickel, ferric chloride leaves a blotchy, rough, acid spot of damage that ruins the coin's appearance. Also, the date will fade over time, and each time you use the chemical, it brings back less and less of the marking, leaving an increasingly ugly acid mark.

Professional numismatists will not trust a date that has been restored with ferric chloride because people can tamper with coins to create the illusion of a rare date buffalo nickel by manipulating the metal on which the ferric chloride is applied. Therefore, be wary of any coin purchase that is based upon a restored date, especially if it is an extremely rare error or key date coin.

Partial Date Values

Never use chemicals on a nickel's surface to restore partial dates because a partial-date buffalo nickel can be worth more than a dateless or damaged nickel. Depending on which digits are missing, a partial-date buffalo nickel can be worth anywhere from $0.50 (if the part showing is the first two or three digits) to about 20 percent of market value (if the last two or three digits are readable).

Identifying Without the Date

The first buffalo nickels The United States Mint produced in 1913 featured the denomination of "FIVE CENTS" on a raised mound of dirt below the buffalo on the reverse of the coin. As these nickels began to circulate in their first year of issue, the Mint noticed that the denomination was wearing away prematurely.

Approximately halfway through 1913, the Mint reworked the coin's design because of the flaw that caused the lettering on the back to wear off prematurely. This rework included the modification of the mound of dirt the buffalo is standing on so there would be a recessed space beneath the dirt to display the denomination of "FIVE CENTS." This new design eliminated the problem of the mint mark wearing off the coin. However, the problem with the date or "F" wearing off was never solved with the redesign. You can use these tips to try to date your no-date buffalo nickel.

Find out how much your full-date buffalo nickels are worth in the buffalo nickel price guide.