Rare 1921 Nickel Errors (List & Pictures)
The eye, the small inner feather, and the space below FIVE CENTS are useful starting points for a 1921 Buffalo nickel inspection. San Francisco examples can carry considerable value even before an error is considered.
Estimated whole-coin values for 1921 nickel errors span $15–$8,000; a Philadelphia Two Feathers example sold for $7,800. Work from the portrait to the surface and edge, matching the correct mint before comparing prices.
| Where to look | Feature | Estimated whole-coin value |
|---|---|---|
| Eye, lips, and ribbon | Doubled die | $40–$1,500 |
| Small feather beside neck | Two Feathers variety | $40–$8,000 |
| Throat and E PLU | Die clash | $15–$250 |
| Surface and rim | Die crack or cud | $15–$400 |
| Separating metal | Lamination | $20–$5,000 |
| Two missing edge areas | Reported double clip | $75–$750 |
| Blank crescent or expanded border | Off-center strike or broadstrike | $200–$3,500 |
| Small copper-colored disk | Reported cent-planchet strike | $1,500–$6,000 if authenticated |
1. 1921 Nickel The Eye and Lips Have Extra Raised Outlines: Doubled Die Error
On the Philadelphia WDDO-001 variety, doubling appears toward the upper left of the eyelid, nose, and lips. A separate doubled area follows the left edge of the right ribbon.
Those repeated contours originated in the die while its design was being transferred. They do not mean that each affected coin received two strikes.
How to Identify
Orient the portrait upright and compare the direction of the extra facial contours, then check the ribbon independently. The Wexler attribution photographs provide the specific pattern to match.
This Philadelphia variety has no mint letter below FIVE CENTS. A blurry eye from wear or a flat shelf beside a feature does not establish the same die variety.
What It’s Worth
$40–$1,500 is an estimated whole-coin range for matching examples, depending on preservation and the clarity of the doubling. No completed 1921 sale is supplied for this variety.
A 1926 Philadelphia nickel with doubling on both faces sold for $3,120 in MS65 in 2018. That different-year, more extensive variety is a comparison, not a price record for WDDO-001.
2. 1921 Nickel The Small Inner Feather Is Absent: Two Feathers Variety Error
The shortest feather lies between the larger feathers and the back of the neck. Heavy die polishing can remove that shallow feature while leaving much of the neighboring design intact.
How to Identify
Identify the mint before selecting a comparison: both Philadelphia and San Francisco have recorded 1921 Two Feathers varieties. Philadelphia has no letter below FIVE CENTS, while San Francisco has S.
Inspect the exact feather position and the surviving hair and neck detail beside it. A Philadelphia example may also lack detail along the upper back edge of the neck, but the two mints need separate diagnostic comparisons.
Broad smoothness across the portrait favors circulation wear. Scratches or an excavated patch around the missing feather suggest later removal rather than a polished die.
What It’s Worth
$40–$8,000 covers a broad estimated range across the two mints and many grades. The upper end depends on exceptional preservation, not simply the number of visible feathers.
A Philadelphia MS67 example sold for $7,800 at Heritage on January 12, 2020, as recorded by PCGS. MS67 describes an unusually well-preserved unworn coin, so the result is a poor direct comparison for a heavily circulated piece.
3. 1921 Nickel Unfamiliar Outlines Cross the Throat: Die Clash Error
A die clash can leave traces of the opposite face near the portrait’s throat and around E PLU on the reverse. The dies acquired those marks by contacting each other without a blank between them, then transferred the altered surfaces to later coins.
How to Identify
Look for paired marks in the throat and E PLU areas, changing the lighting angle to reveal faint relief. Their shapes should relate to the opposing design rather than follow a random scratch.
These clash marks are recorded on a later stage of the doubled-die variety discussed above. Earlier coins from the same dies can lack the clash, so its absence does not disprove matching facial doubling.
What It’s Worth
$15–$250 is an estimated whole-coin range for visible clashes on circulated through attractive Philadelphia examples. There is no separate auction result supplied for the particular clashed stage.
Readily recognizable outlines usually matter more to buyers than extremely faint marks. If a coin also has the doubled die, value the combined coin once rather than adding two complete price estimates.
4. 1921 Nickel A Raised Line or Rim Patch Interrupts the Surface: Die Crack or Cud Error
A crack in a working die allows metal to rise into the opening during a strike. When a piece of the die breaks away at its edge, the coin can instead acquire a raised, rim-connected patch called a cud.
How to Identify
Use light from the side to determine whether a thin line rises above the coin or cuts into it. A scratch may have displaced metal along its sides, so examine the center of the line as well.
For a claimed cud, trace the patch all the way to the rim and inspect the edge for impact damage. The supplied Philadelphia reports do not establish a fixed crack path or a particular cud location.
What It’s Worth
$15–$100 is a working whole-coin estimate for small genuine cracks, with clear rim breaks potentially extending the range to $400. These are estimates for reported examples rather than auction records for a named die state.
The size and visibility of the break affect collector interest. An ordinary dent or attached material does not earn the same premium.
5. 1921 Nickel A Thin Layer Separates from the Coin: Lamination Error
Flaking metal can reveal a weakness within the copper-nickel alloy. This is called lamination, and it can leave either a retained flap or a shallow area where part of the surface has detached.
How to Identify
A recorded 1921-S MS64 coin has separation on the reverse and another affected area at the far left of the obverse. Philadelphia laminations are also reported, but without one required location.
Study the layer boundary without lifting a flap, and distinguish it from a gouge with metal pushed aside. A Buffalo nickel has no silver coating that would normally peel away.
For a loose coin, the usual reference measurements are about 5 grams and 21.2 millimeters, with a plain edge. Those checks also help with the following blank and shape errors, although a small lamination may barely affect weight.
What It’s Worth
$20–$5,000 is an estimated whole-coin range across Philadelphia and San Francisco pieces. Much of the value of a scarce unworn 1921-S may come from the underlying coin rather than the separating metal.
The two-sided lamination example graded NGC MS64 realized $3,304 at Scotsman on July 23, 2021. That total included the buyer’s fee on a $2,800 winning bid and represents one coin, not two separately priced flaws.
6. 1921 Nickel Two Gaps Break the Outline: Reported Double Clip Error
A double clip means that two portions of the original blank were missing before striking. A collector report describes a 1921 example, but does not establish its mint or the shapes and positions of the gaps.
How to Identify
Evaluate each missing area separately for natural strike flow and rim formation. One genuine clip does not turn a second cut or crushed section into a mint error.
Sharp tool marks favor later cutting, while weakness opposite a clip can support a mint origin. A reduced weight may fit missing metal, but it cannot establish when that metal disappeared.
Read the date and any surviving mint-mark area before deciding which ordinary coin value applies. Details missing from the report should remain unspecified until the actual specimen provides them.
What It’s Worth
$75–$750 is a comparison-based estimate for an authenticated double-clipped coin, depending on mint, condition, and the visibility of both clips. It is not a recorded sale of the reported 1921 specimen.
A 1926-S single ragged clip graded AU58 sold for $1,860 in October 2025. Its scarce date and mint make that result unsuitable as a direct price for a Philadelphia double clip.
7. 1921 Nickel The Design Misses the Disk or Spreads Beyond Its Usual Border: Off-Center Strike and Broadstrike Error
Missing design beside a blank crescent points toward an off-center strike. A broadstrike occurs without normal collar support and can spread unevenly while preserving the full intended design.
How to Identify
One recorded 1921 coin was struck 45% off-center toward twelve to one o’clock. Its date survives, but the auction title leaves its mint unidentified.
A separate example has been described as an uncentered broadstrike, although the bottom of S in CENTS appears clipped. If the original strike really omitted that part of the letter, the missing design raises an off-center attribution issue.
Follow the outer letters around both faces rather than judging only the width of the border. Keep an apparent strike omission separate from later edge damage.
What It’s Worth
$200–$3,500 is an estimated range spanning modest spread strikes through dramatic dated off-center pieces. The NGC MS63 coin struck 45% off-center sold for $2,300 at Heritage on September 11, 2009.
The auction noted scratches in the unstruck area. That price belongs to the large off-center coin and should not be assigned to the separate disputed broadstrike.
8. 1921 Nickel The Design Crowds a Smaller Copper-Colored Disk: Reported Cent-Planchet Strike Error
A cent blank entering a nickel press could receive a Buffalo design on the wrong metal disk. The reported 1921 candidate remains conditional until its date, composition, and physical form have been authenticated.
How to Identify
A period cent blank normally weighed 3.11 grams and measured about 19 millimeters before striking. Pressure can spread that smaller disk, so compare its weight, dimensions, and missing outer design together.
Copper color alone can come from plating or staining on a normal nickel. Confirm the date and seek nondestructive metal testing rather than scratching the surface to inspect it.
What It’s Worth
$1,500–$6,000 is an estimated range only if the coin is authenticated as a 1921 nickel on a cent blank. There is no verified completed sale supplied for the reported candidate.
A genuine 1936 Buffalo nickel struck on a cent planchet sold for $3,290 in AU55 in June 2017. That different-year sale offers context, while a readable date and sound attribution remain essential for the 1921 claim.
Conclusion
Keep three questions separate when examining a 1921 nickel: what feature is present, which mint struck it, and how well the coin survives. A scarce San Francisco coin can command a strong price even when its mint-made flaw is modest.
Facial doubling needs a precise pattern match, and missing metal needs an explanation that fits the strike. Preserve uncertain reports as possibilities until the coin supplies the missing evidence.
