1916-S 5C MS(PCGS#3933)

June 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1438

Grade

MS66+

Price

13,200

Lot Description

A breathtakingly beautiful example that really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Both sides are intensely lustrous with a satiny texture that is enlivened by exquisite toning in iridescent powder blue and pinkish-rose. Sharply to full struck throughout and so carefully preserved as to approach numismatic perfection.<p>Production of Buffalo nickels at San Francisco was stepped up significantly in 1916, roughly eight times more than in the previous year. With such larger scale production, care in manufacture was not always observed closely. Sometimes plagued by poorly mixed alloy and an uneven strike, often from worn dies, the 1916-S can be especially challenging to locate with universally sharp definition and strong eye appeal. The vast majority of the known Uncirculated specimens are found in Choice to Gem Mint State grades, at which levels it is one of the most available of the early San Francisco Mint Buffalo nickels. However, the 1916-S is a notable condition rarity in grades above MS-65 and is seldom encountered at or near the Superb Gem level. This stunning PCGS/CAC MS-66+ example is a prime candidate for an advanced specialist in this series.