The 1937-D 3-legged nickel is one of the most desired and valuable coins in the series. It is also one of the most faked coins in numismatics. All of the inexpensive Etsy coins above are fake. Telling the difference is easy, and it has nothing to do with the leg but with the motto “E Pluribus Unum.”
The missing leg is a variety. Here’s what happened: A new mint employee was being pressured to produce more coins. The coin feeder that sends blank planchets to the press jammed. That caused the two dies to clash, severing the front leg.
Scammers soon realized how easy it was to shave off part of the front leg on a regular 1937-D. But the diagnostics differ between the two types.
A member of a Facebook coin identification group bought this coin for $35 at a pawn shop. He wondered whether he scored a 3-legged nickel. He did not.
To tell the difference, do not look at the leg. If the motto “E Pluribus Unum” touches the back of the buffalo on the reverse, it is a fake. Here’s an illustration:
Here are other diagnostics:
Look at the 4th Leg, which should be weak in genuine coins. Also look for that famous “raised arc,” a polite way to say “buffalo urinating.” Compare the size of devices about “Five”; they are smaller and more defined than what you find in reproductions.
You can see the same wrong sized devices in Etsy reproductions, which eBay scammers purchase and then sell them as genuine.
Only about 20,000 genuine 3-legged nickels exist. It is extremely difficult to find one in pocket change, coin shop or pawn store. But now that you know how to tell the difference, no one can scam you about this desired Mint error.
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