1934-D 5C MS(PCGS#3973)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2255

Grade

MS66+

Price

5,760

Lot Description

Lightly and attractively toned in iridescent powder blue and pinkish-apricot, the surfaces are expertly preserved and support boldly rendered motifs. The Great Depression hit particularly hard in the Midwest, and the 1934-D represents the first nickel coinage achieved by the Denver Mint since the stock market crash in 1929. When the Treasury Department started releasing nickels into circulation in the Midwest again in the mid 1930s, the 1934-D came forward alongside many examples of the 1926-D, 1928-D and 1929-D that were tucked away in government vaults at the start of the depression. While many of the earlier-dated pieces were hoarded by numismatic speculators, the 1934-D as an issue was largely allowed to slip into circulation. The result is that Mint Sate survivors of the 1934-D are scarcer than one might expect for a Depression era minor coin issue with a respectable mintage of 7,480,000 pieces. That offered here is an exceptional condition rarity fit for inclusion in the finest Buffalo nickel set.