1930 Buffalo Nickel

Even though the mintage of nickels at Philadelphia was lower than usual 1930, it still proved to be far more coins than were needed during the early years of the Great Depression. No additional pieces were struck there until 1934.

With so many new coins idled until that later year, these fell into the hands of collectors and speculators who put away perhaps hundreds of Mint State rolls. This issue is fairly common in all grades through MS 65. Most have excellent luster, though the quality of strike ranges from average to good, with fully struck pieces being very rare. More often seen is flatness in the hair above the braid knot typified by the example illustrated.

Why so many doubled-die varieties occurred for 1930(P) nickels on both obverse and reverse is unknown. The list at left is just the tip of the iceberg and represents those varieties sufficiently appealing to carry a premium.