The quality of strike varies widely for 1916(P) nickels. There are no really bad ones, though a number of pieces will show distinctive flatness in the central portion of the Indian’s portrait. This affects the hair braid in particular. This same peculiarity is common to many 1918(P) nickels.
Fully struck, highly lustrous examples are easy enough to find with a bit of shopping, and 1916(P) is another issue that makes for a nice type coin. The luster of these coins is rarely satiny. More typical is very bright frostiness throughout.
The Mint finally addressed some of the Buffalo Nickel’s basic deficiencies beginning this year. A new obverse hub was used exclusively for this and all subsequent dates. The word LIBERTY was more deeply incised, eliminating its tendency to blend with the coin’s field.
Varieties:
- The 1916 doubled-die obverse is one of the most desirable varieties in this or any series (FS-1916-101).
- There are also pieces having a slightly doubled profile on the Indian as the result of mechanical or strike doubling. These are not true varieties, as they don’t represent a feature of the die itself, and they carry little if any premium.
- Also of interest is the variety without the designer’s initial F. This was caused by excessive polishing of the die, probably performed in an attempt to remove clash marks (FS-1916-401).
- Finally, there is a two-feathers variety for this date (FS-1916-402).
| Philadelphia | Denver | San Francisco |
| 63,497,466 | 13,333,000 | 11,860,000 |