Home U.S. Coin Forum

How rare is the 1936-D 3.5 leg Buffalo??

According to my calculations based upon PCGS population, the 1936-D 3.5 legger is 170 times as rare as the 1937-D 3 legger, with only 23 total examples certified. Is this coin in the same class as the 18/7-D and 16/16? Your thoughts are appreciated.
Irv Reichel

Comments

  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Not as rare as stated. I know of one collector who has a hoard around 50 pieces. I myself have cherried three and I have a friend who has owned over a dozen different coins. This is not all bad-these numbers make it a more widely available and collectable coin. I would guess somewhere around 200-250 exist-the 1916/16 is probably in the same range. Remember-most rarity estimates for the more esoteric varieties seem to be overstated. See the listing on ebay currently for an NGC AU 1927-D 3 1/2 legged coin. I have personally cherried far more than the seller claims to be in existance.
  • tradedollarnuttradedollarnut Posts: 20,293 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would guess somewhere around 200-250 exist

    I think you might need to add a zero to those estimates. image
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    2000? I don't think so.
  • tradedollarnuttradedollarnut Posts: 20,293 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My mistake - I was guesstimating the 3 legger.
  • goose3goose3 Posts: 11,471 ✭✭✭
    I think the 36d version is extremely overrated and not to mention overpriced.

    same class as the 16/16 and the 8/7..........not a chance.
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think the '37-D is far more common than the generally accepted numbers. They seem to be ALWAYS avaiable in quantity. According to Breen (who supposedly interviewed the press operator that produced this variety) it was stated that to the best of his recollection he ran the press for around 20 minutes (20 minutesX120 coins per minute-the rate at which they were struck at the time)=2400 coins after which the press was stopped due to the error, but they just seem to be much more common than this.

    Getting back to the '36-D, I have found those three coins over a period of around 16 years and I'm sure I've looked at several thousand coins-over 60 rolls that had definately not been searched before one time. I didn't find a single 3 1/2 legger in that bunch, but the last one I found was in a junk box of fewer than 50 Buffalos.
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Edited to add over 60 rolls of solid date 1936-D's.
  • DRGDRG Posts: 817
    The real issue here is not just rarity but desirability.

    The 1916/16 overdate is a dramatic error and very COOL. Even if it was much more common it would be worth a lot of money.

    The 3 leg 37 D is also very cool. To me the 3 1/2 leg is just not that interesting, the rarity is not the issue.

    The fact is that these missing leg coins are not true errors or varieties. They are from over polished and over used dies. In most of the hobby this kind of thing is looked at as a negative and the coins are worth less than a well struck coin from a new die.

    The only reason the 3 leg buffalo is collected is because it had great placement of the die abrasion, if it was just the hair detail on the buffalo's back they would be worthless. A coin with only a little of the leg abraded off is just a lot less interesting than if the whole thing is gone..................Population is not the issue!
    (PAST) OWNER #1 SBA$ REGISTRY COLLECTOIN
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Demand is a major part of it and it's why, considering the rarity of the '36-D it's not worth far more than it is. The most I've ever heard of one bringing is around $15,000 for an AU and the about same for a PCGS MS62. I've seen a few coins that are almost as dramatic as the '37-D with the leg nearly gone.

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file