1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel

Specifications

Denomination: 5 cents
Series: Buffalo (Indian Head) nickel — 1918/7-D overdate, FS-101
Designer: James Earle Fraser
Years of issue: 1918
Composition: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Weight: 5 g
Diameter: 21.2 mm
Edge: Plain
Mint marks: D (Denver)
KM: PCGS 38446; FS-101 (earlier FS-016.5)
Key mintages: Variety mintage unknown — the Mint did not count the overdate separately; 8,362,000 is Denver's total 1918-D nickel production (PCGS CoinFacts).

Melt value: $0.05copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin.

The famous 1918-over-1917 dual-hub overdate — a doubled-die variety whose mintage is unknown; Denver's total 1918-D production was 8,362,000 pieces.

History

The 1918/7-D overdate is technically a doubled-die variety: a working die received hub impressions dated both 1917 and 1918, leaving a clear underlying 7 beneath the 8 in the date (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).
The Mint did not count the overdate separately, so the variety’s mintage is unknown; the published 8,362,000 figure is Denver’s total 1918-D nickel production, not the overdate mintage (PCGS CoinFacts, accessed 2026-09-16).
The variety is catalogued as FS-101 in the Cherrypickers’ Guide (older designation FS-016.5) and is one of the most famous Buffalo nickel varieties (GreatCollections; PCGS Europe, accessed 2026-09-16).
Published diagnostics for genuine examples include a clearly visible 7 under the 8 and a D mintmark tilted to the left; later die states show a die crack running from the braid across the cheek toward the mouth and lower jaw (GreatCollections, accessed 2026-09-16).

1918/7-D overdate (Denver, D mintmark) — FS-101; the underlying 7 is clearly visible beneath the 8; variety mintage unknown within Denver’s 8,362,000 total (PCGS CoinFacts; Heritage Auctions).

Authentication markers (published diagnostics): a clear 7 visible beneath the 8 in the date; genuine examples show the D mintmark tilted left; later die states display a die crack from the braid across the cheek toward the mouth/lower jaw (GreatCollections; Heritage Auctions). Certification is strongly recommended — altered dates are a known counterfeit approach on this variety.
Variety designation: FS-101 (older: FS-016.5); PCGS CoinFacts 38446 (PCGS CoinFacts; GreatCollections; PCGS Europe).
Mintage caution: no mintage figure was supplied for this variety — the Mint did not count it separately. The 8,362,000 figure is Denver’s total 1918-D production (PCGS CoinFacts).
No freely licensed variety-specific photograph of a 1918/7-D nickel was located in consulted references; an illustration will be used rather than a copyrighted auction or grading-service image.