It seems as though I have alot of nickels, but I really don't. I hold them and clearly have no knowledge of what I have or if they are worth hanging onto. That's why I joined this site, so I can understand what I should be looking for in a coin. So, I have 2 Buffalo Head nickels, one, in my opinion, has good detail-this is the 1936. The second, I can only see the head, buffalo, and word Liberty.
A 1936 Buffalo in G-4 is worth about a dollar , if you could post a scan or picture , we could be more helpful . Good luck on your collection . rzage
Here's some info that will help you out with grading your nickels from the Red Book. G-4 - Legends and date readable. Buffalo's horn does not show. VG-8 Very Good - Horn worn nearly flat. F-12 Fine - Horn and tail smooth but partially flat. Obverse rim intact. VF-20 Very Fine - Much of horn visible. Indian's cheekbone worn. EF-40 Extremely Fine - Horn lightly worn. Slight wear on indian's hair ribbon. AU-50 About Uncirculated - Traces of light wear on high points of design. Half of mint luster present. MS-60 Uncirculated - No trace of wear. May have several blemishes. MS-63 Choice Uncirculated - No trace of wear. Light blemishes. MATTE PF-63 Choice Proof - Crisp Surfaces. Only a few blemishes. MS-70 Perfect Uncirculated - Perfect new condition showing no trace of wear. No evidence of scratches, handling, or contact with other coins. With that being said, the values for a 1936 are as follows... G-4 = $1.00 VG-8 = $1.50 F-12 = $1.75 VF-20 = $2.00 EF-40 = $3.00 AU-50 = $9.00 MD-60 = $20.00 MS-63 = $40.00 PF-63 - $1,200.00 NOTE: When coins are graded, they are NOT done so with the naked eye, but under high magnification and correct lighting. Most coins (I would guess 95%) of the coins on Ebay that are advertised as BU, EF, AU are honestly Good or Very Good (few are even true Fine) so you should take the descriptions with a very large grain of salt.
