PCGS Number: 569453
Coin Date: 1931-S
Denomination (Short): 5c
Denomination (Long): 5 Cents
Variety: Doubled Die Reverse
Variety 2: FS-801
Desg: MS
Mint Mark: S
Composition: 75% copper; 25% nickel
Mintage: 1,200,000
Strike Type: Business
Coinage Type: Buffalo nickel
Coinage Years: 1913-1938
Mint Location: San Francisco
Diameter: 21.2
Fineness: 0
Weight (Grams): 5
Weight (Ounces): 0
Designer: James Earle Fraser
Edge: Plain
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.
General Notes: The 1931-S Buffalo nickel has the second-lowest mintage of the series, at just 1,200,000. However, by the early 1930s many collectors were saving new coins being released by the US Mint, and many were aware of the low mintage of the 1931-S and held onto roll quantities of these coins — as had been done with the similarly scarce 1931-S Lincoln cent. It is thought that perhaps there are as many, if not more, uncirculated 1931-S Buffalo nickels in existence than there are circulated examples. <BR><BR> While not the most common of the Gem-grade Buffalo nickels, the 1931-S is by no means all that scarce in the better grades, with 3,000 or so specimens estimated to remain in MS65 or higher. There are hundreds certified by PCGS and NGC in the Superb Gem level of MS66 though fewer than two dozen in MS67, a grade point that is particularly attractive to Buffalo nickel enthusiasts who are building registry sets.
NGC ID: 22SK

1931-S 5c Doubled Die Reverse FS-801