1913 5C Type 1, 3-1/2 Legs, FS-901 XF45 Certification #31566650, PCGS #38428

Ron Guth

The 1913 3-1/2 Legged Buffalo Nickel (Type 1) is similar to the 1937-D Three-Legged Buffalo Nickel in that excessive polishing of the dies resulted in the removal of portions of the front leg. On the 1913 3-1/2 Nickel, much of the front leg is missing, but it has not been completely effaced as on the 1937-D Three-Legged.  This is a rare variety that has proven to be difficult to find in most grades.  In a dramatic entrance, a PCGS MS64 splashed onto the market in 2003 and sold for $19,550 at auction.  A year later, an NGC MS65 sold at auction for $47,437.50.  In early 2017, PCGS certified an MS66 example which has yet to come to market (as of 2/2017).