Rare 1920 Nickel Errors (List & Pictures)
A 1920 Buffalo nickel on a copper cent blank can already be unusual. One also struck 40% off center brought $12,337.50 in April 2017.
These 1920 nickel errors have estimated values of $15–$20,000. Check what remains of FIVE CENTS and the mintmark, then compare the outline, back alignment, and any separated metal.
1. 1920 Nickel IVE Is Missing but the Metal Remains: Filled Die Error
A collector’s worn 1920 nickel has IVE missing from FIVE CENTS. It is described as a filled-die error, where material blocked those small letter recesses in the stamping tool.
The coin’s G4 grade indicates heavy wear. That makes comparison with the remaining lettering especially important.
How to Identify
Compare the missing IVE with the remaining F and CENTS under side lighting. Look for original surface where the absent letters should be.
Scraping or broad wear can remove letters after striking. Similar flattening in neighboring high areas may explain the loss without a blocked die.
The reported holder’s Full Steps wording is a labeling mistake. Buffalo nickels do not have the staircase feature described by that term.
What It’s Worth
$15–$200 is an estimated range for clear original missing-letter examples. Strong detail around the absent letters helps show selective blockage.
The displayed G4 coin is an illustration, not a quoted sale. Incorrect holder wording should not be added as another Mint-error premium.
2. 1920 Nickel Raised Metal Replaces Part of the Design: Die Break Error
A piece missing from a die lets metal rise where normal details should form. A raised patch that reaches the rim is called a cud.
The gallery includes a front break near 10 o’clock and separate back breaks affecting FIVE CENTS. These are different specimens.
How to Identify
Trace a suspected cud into the rim and check the surrounding design. A dent can push finished metal upward but may leave damage or folds beside the lump.
A Denver example has a retained back break, meaning the cracked die piece stayed partly in place. Some original design can survive on its shifted section.
Use a separate photograph for each break pattern. Do not combine the front rim lump with another coin’s back-lettering loss.
What It’s Worth
$30–$750 is an estimated range for clearly identified breaks. Large visible features can draw more interest than small cracks or heavily damaged examples.
A 1970-D nickel with two cuds sold for $63 in October 2022. That different-date Jefferson coin provides modest price context, not a direct value for a 1920 Buffalo break.
3. 1920 Nickel Another D Below the Main Letter: Repunched Mintmark Error
The collector’s AU55 Denver example shows an earlier D below the final one. The letter was punched into the die more than once before the coin was struck.
The display identifies the pattern as FS-502. AU55 describes light circulation wear.
How to Identify
Find the D beneath FIVE CENTS and inspect its lower edge. The extra curve should fit an earlier D, rather than an unrelated bump or a flat shelf.
Match the complete southward pattern with the documented example. A claimed D-over-D on a separate rotated coin was not accepted in the collector’s account.
Check for scratches, corrosion, and dents around the mintmark. They can interrupt the letter without leaving a second punch impression.
What It’s Worth
$50–$1,500 is an estimated range for clearly matched repunched D examples. Attractive preservation and convincing earlier-letter detail support stronger comparisons.
The gallery’s changing statements about numbers known are not a current population count. They should not be used to promise an automatic rarity premium.
4. 1920 Nickel The Buffalo Finishes Tilted: Rotated Dies Error
A rotated die changes the angle between the two designs. It does not create another portrait or buffalo.
A lightly worn 1920-D gallery coin has a small counterclockwise rotation and a 10% off-center strike. Another Denver example has a more obvious reported turn but no established angle in degrees.
How to Identify
Hold the portrait upright and flip the coin from top to bottom without turning it sideways. The buffalo should finish upright on a normally aligned coin.
Repeat the same motion and record it continuously. The same tilt should recur without the coin turning inside a loose holder.
Do not convert the other example’s percentage wording into a guessed angle. Separate photographs individually rotated upright cannot show the true relationship.
What It’s Worth
$30–$600 is an estimated range for genuine rotations. A slight tilt normally has less visual appeal than a large repeatable turn.
The lightly worn Denver coin also has an off-center strike. Both features contribute to one value, and no sale result is assigned here to either gallery example.
5. 1920 Nickel The Design Misses Part of the Disk: Off-Center Strike Error
A blank outside its correct position receives only part of the design. Untouched metal remains opposite details that run off the edge.
The gallery shows a Philadelphia coin 10% off center toward the top and upper right. Separate Denver and San Francisco examples have reported shifts of 10% and 20%.
How to Identify
Compare both faces for the same displaced blank. A shifted front alone may instead come from a misaligned die.
Read the date and any surviving mintmark area. If that area lies beyond the strike, the lack of a visible letter cannot prove Philadelphia.
The Denver coin also has slight rotation, while another 25% example has damage. Keep each specimen’s direction and condition with its own photograph.
What It’s Worth
$100–$2,000 is an estimated range for genuine off-center 1920 nickels with readable identity. A clear date and original surfaces strengthen the comparison.
A 1950 Jefferson nickel about 65% off center with a back crack sold for $528 in July 2022. Its different design and combined features prevent a simple percentage-based price comparison.
6. 1920 Nickel A Wider Border, Sometimes With Two Feathers: Broadstrike Error
A broadstrike spreads outward when the collar fails to contain the blank normally. The intended design stays on the metal, even when the margin is uneven.
A worn Philadelphia example was reportedly struck on a Type One blank, meaning one without a prepared raised rim. That term does not refer to the different 1913 Buffalo reverse design.
How to Identify
Trace the complete lettering around the expanded outline and look for natural metal flow. Hammering can widen a coin while crushing details that were already struck.
A separate San Francisco MS63 example combines an uncentered broadstrike with FS-401 two feathers. Polishing the die removed the small third feather from that variety’s design.
Confirm the S and compare the missing-feather area with nearby hair and feathers. Ordinary wear or scraping does not establish the two-feather variety.
What It’s Worth
$75–$3,000 spans the estimated ranges for these forms. Ordinary broadstrikes are estimated at $75–$600, while the combined San Francisco two-feather type is estimated at $300–$3,000.
PCGS records about $999 for a separate AU58 two-feather coin at Heritage in September 2016. That result does not establish a broadstrike on the auctioned coin.
The gallery’s MS63 combined example is another specimen. Its features should be priced together rather than as two full standalone premiums.
7. 1920 Nickel Portrait and Buffalo on Separate Matching Pieces: Split After Striking Error
A nickel can separate through its thickness after receiving its designs. One piece retains the portrait and the other retains the buffalo.
The collector’s VF30 pair is made from those two pieces of one 1920 coin. VF30 means noticeable wear with useful design remaining.
How to Identify
Photograph each outer design and each inner fracture surface. The inner faces should show matching separation textures rather than newly struck designs.
Keep the pieces supported without squeezing them together. Tool-cut surfaces or an artificial seam need a different explanation.
A normal Buffalo nickel weighs 5 grams and measures 21.21 millimeters across. Record loose pieces separately and together, allowing for small missing fragments.
What It’s Worth
$250–$2,500 is an estimated range for an intact matched pair. Clear identity and a convincing original relationship support the comparison.
A 1929-S nickel with an attached back flap sold for $149.50 in April 2010. That shallow retained layer differs from two matching full-face pieces.
The pair’s range covers both pieces together. Splitting them for individual sale can lose evidence of the original coin.
8. 1920 Nickel Nickel Designs on Copper Metal: Cent Blank Error
A smaller copper-alloy cent blank can receive the Buffalo nickel design. The larger image may lose outer detail because the metal is too small to hold it.
The gallery includes an MS61 example. A separate MS64 Brown coin also has a 40% off-center strike toward 2 o’clock.
How to Identify
A contemporary cent blank starts near 3.11 grams and 19.05 millimeters, compared with a nickel’s 5 grams and 21.21 millimeters. These are standard blank figures, and striking can alter the outline.
Inspect cropped letters and the edge for trimming or a coating. The material beneath the original design must support the cent-blank identification.
On the 40% example, the date survives but the mintmark area, portrait profile, and buffalo’s legs lie beyond the metal. The missing mintmark area cannot establish Philadelphia.
What It’s Worth
$2,000–$20,000 spans the estimated ranges for ordinary and combined cent-blank errors. Genuine cent-blank examples are estimated at $2,000–$10,000, and strong off-center combinations at $8,000–$20,000.
A PCGS Fine 15 cent-blank coin sold for $2,580 in August 2024. The 40% off-center MS64 Brown example brought $12,337.50 in April 2017.
The Fine 15 coin has considerable wear, while MS64 describes an unworn piece. Their different preservation and striking features explain why the results are not interchangeable.
Conclusion
FIVE CENTS can be incomplete because letters failed to form, a die broke, or the design missed the blank. Look at the surrounding surface and outline before deciding which explanation fits.
Estimated values span $15–$20,000, including combined errors and the complete split pair. Keep each coin’s mint evidence, direction, and condition together, especially when an error removes the usual mintmark area.
