My new 3-legged buffalo nickel!

One of the most popular variety or error coins in history, the three-legged buffalo is most commonly attributed to a mint employee overpolishing a very worn die and completely erasing the buffalo's front-most leg in the process.

The error was discovered in 1939 and eventually added to the Red Book, making it an instant key date as exact mintages are unknown, but relatively very low, especially in relation to demand.

A high grade 4-legged 1937-D nickel will sell for under $100, whereas a high grade 3-legged error coin will sell for a couple thousand dollars or more depending on condition.

This was one of the first "famous" coins I was aware of as a kid, before I even started collecting I knew there were elusive 3-legged buffalo nickels. I'm very happy to have this high grade example in my collection now.

I also included some wooden nickels in the presentation picture. Wooden nickels (most based on the buffalo nickel design), were popular in the 1930s. These wooden nickels were made by banks and local merchants as advertising pieces, or as redeemable tokens during the Great Depression when businesses had trouble making change. I own a few classic examples from various towns and merchants to add a bit of additional history and context to my buffalo nickels.

Local businesses, casinos, and coin clubs still have wooden nickels made today, usually as promotional items including their website and logos.

This particular coin will serve as the Type 2 example in my type set project (the type set is listed under my Custom Sets if you'd like to see the other coins).

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