1937-D Abraded Dies

Intriguing History

A Denver Mint employee, trying to buff clash marks off an overused reverse die, polished away so much metal that the buffalo's front leg vanished entirely. The error slipped past inspectors and into circulation, and when collectors began noticing the three-legged bison in late 1937, dealers and newspapers helped spark one of the first true "error coin" crazes in American numismatics. Counterfeiters still doctor common-date buffalo nickels today trying to fake the missing leg.