1936

Philadelphia delivered 118,997,000 Buffalo nickels in 1936, the highest single-year production in the entire Buffalo series and reflecting the strong economic recovery that was rebuilding commercial demand for small-change coinage. The coin is abundant in all grades and readily available in Mint State. Strike characteristics are generally strong, and Gem-quality examples exist in large numbers for specialist demand at minimal premiums.

The 1936 Philadelphia is among the most abundant Buffalo nickels in the entire series. The massive mintage ensures that examples are available at every grade level at modest prices, and high-grade specialists can find satisfactory MS65 or better pieces without significant effort or cost. Type collectors often select 1936 Philadelphia as their Buffalo nickel representative because of the combination of affordability and quality.

1936 was a presidential election year in which Franklin Roosevelt won re-election in a massive landslide over Alfred Landon, taking 46 of 48 states and winning the largest electoral victory in American history to that point. The New Deal was firmly established as the dominant political and economic framework. The Buffalo nickels struck in 1936 entered a country that was emerging from the worst of the Depression and heading toward new challenges as World War II loomed in Europe and Asia.