1920-D 5c 2 Feathers, FS-401 MS

The 1920-D Buffalo nickel is a scarce issue in all grades, with even circulated examples above Fine to Very Fine proving difficult to locate. In uncirculated and especially Gem levels, the 1920-D Buffalo nickel is actually rarer than most other Denver-mint issues in the series. All told, 9,418,000 examples were struck and fewer than 5,000 remain, with less than 100 in MS65 or above. Fewer than a dozen examples are certified by PCGS and NGC as MS66, and only one is presently slabbed by NGC as an MS67. All of the MS66s take five-figure prices, many of them getting run up high in auction scenarios when two or more Buffalo nickel registry set collectors are bidding on the same piece.

Obverse Description

James Earle Fraser's famous and simple design depicts a Native American chief with the word LIBERTY from 1-2 o'clock. The date is placed on the lower left of the chieftain's bust.

Reverse Description

A full portrait of the bison, Black Diamond, with the words UNITED STATES oF AMERICA at the top periphery with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM just underneath. The denomination FIVE CENTS is spelled out at the bottom. For the Type 1, the denomination is embossed on a flat surface.