The 1929-S Buffalo nickel is by and large the most common S-mint issue from the series for any period of the 1920s. While its mintage of 7,754,000 isnt any significantly higher than many of the earlier S-mint Buffalo nickels, many of these coins languished in bank vaults during the Great Depression due to less spending by an economically starving public. With 1,000 specimens estimated to survive in MS65 or better, this S-mint nickel is scarce but not impossibly difficult in Gem grades.
| coinage-type | Buffalo nickel |
| desg | MS |
| designer | James Earle Fraser |
| diameter | 21.2 |
| edge | Plain |
| material | 75% copper; 25% nickel |
| mint-mark | S |
| mintage | 7,754,000 |
| ngc-id | 22SG |
| 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. |
| pcgs-link | 3968 |
| pcgs-number | 3968 |
| 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. |
| weight-grams | 5 |
| year-display | 1913-1938 |