How Much Is a 2005 Buffalo Nickel Worth?

These days, you can’t buy a whole lot with a five cent coin. That is, unless you get your hands on one that’s worth way more than its face value — like a special 2005 buffalo nickel that could earn you a whole boatload of cash.

According to the experts at Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS), it’s known as the 2005 D Speared Bison and one just sold for $2,250 on eBay in October this year. But what makes these nickels worth significantly more than pretty much very other five cent piece?

Well, like most of the valuable coins floating around out there, there was a mistake in the minting process that led to a visible flaw. In this case, there’s a small line that seems to go through the midsection of the bison image — which is why it’s called a “speared” bison.

You’ll also notice that these coins feature the animal facing toward the right rather than the left like previous bisons. That’s the case for any of them produced that year whether they were “speared” or not (but those without are just worth five cents). You can find more detailed images and value rankings for “speared” ones on on the PCGS website.

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Of course, the value of these 2005 buffalo nickels (which it’s more commonly known as despite the image actually being a bison) will vary based on their condition. The October auction broke the record for highest price, but you can find these rare coins listed on eBay for even more. The lower priced listings are still going for $300, $400, up to $800, and more.

PCGS explains that this nickel started earning way more than five cents soon after the mistake was discovered in 2005. They quickly sold for $100 or more regardless of their condition. Nearly 500,000,000 reverse bison nickels were produced that year, but PCGS claims only “several” have this pricey error. Although we can’t be sure exactly how many “speared” bison coins are out there, there’s still a chance you might find one.

And even though they aren’t quite as lucrative as the most valuable coin — which happens to be another nickel, but one worth millions rather than thousands — there’s no denying you’ll feel a lot richer with one of these in your hands.

Just another reason we should all think twice before spending those coins rattling around in our change jars, pocket books, and purses!