[The following excerpt is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its author, David W. Lange. This information was originally published in 2006 in The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels.]
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MINTAGE: 13,333,000 (Ranking 40/64)
POPULAR VARIETIES: One reverse die features a misplaced mintmark that appears to be embedded in the C of CENTS.
There are rumors of several doubled-die obverses, but these are most likely examples of the mechanical or strike doubling so common to early Buffalo Nickels.
RARITY: 1916-D is not particularly scarce in all grades short of gem. The latter are rare.
COMMENTS:
- Although well struck pieces can be found with perseverance, most are weak in the central obverse and the bison’s head and shoulder. Examples grading Good with a full date are scarce. This is true of many dates in the 1913-18 period, as their dates were quite delicately drawn.
- 1916-D nickels usually have good to excellent luster, though they suffer from overly worn dies. While many collectors like the very frosty, texture luster that results from eroded dies, and such coins often receive high grades from grading services, my personal preference has always been for coins that have sharp, complete details. In an ironic twist, such coins typically have muted, satiny luster.