Buffalo Nickel, 1913-1938, Double Struck, 5¢ , AU Details (Cleaned)

Buffalo Nickel, 1913-1938-5¢, AU Details (Cleaned), Double Struck.

The “Skinwalker Nickel”

Dramatic Double-Struck Buffalo Nickel

Featured in The Numismatist, October 2026

Few mint errors possess this much personality. This dramatic double-struck Buffalo nickel failed to eject after its initial strike and received a second, dramatically misaligned impression. The result transformed James Earle Fraser’s familiar portrait into an almost unsettling visage, while the reverse bison became an equally strange, misshapen creature. The effect inspired its nickname, the “Skinwalker Nickel,” and became the subject of Russ Bega’s feature in the October 2026 issue of The Numismatist. A remarkable error whose appeal extends well beyond technical rarity—sometimes a minting mishap accidentally creates an entirely new image