1920-D 5C MS(PCGS#3945)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2248

Grade

MS64

Price

2,100

Lot Description

Wisps of iridescent powder blue and pinkish-apricot toning visit both sides of this lustrous and impressively smooth example. The 1920-D is a strike and condition rarity of the kind that makes the Buffalo nickel series so challenging for discerning numismatists. Mint State survivors are scarce in an absolute sense, and most are confined to lower grades due to inferior luster or, more likely, poor striking detail. The present example is superior in the luster category; a bit more detail to the central obverse and the bison's head and shoulder on the reverse may have propelled it to the Gem MS-65 level at PCGS.