D, S. Centered under "FIVE CENTS" on the reverse. Philadelphia Mint specimens lack mint mark.
Obverse
Design
Right profile of a Native American, based on Iron Tail and Two Moons
Designer
James Earle Fraser
Design date
1913
Design discontinued
1938
Reverse
Design
An American bison
Designer
James Earle Fraser
Design date
1913
Design discontinued
1913
Designer
James Earle Fraser
Design date
1913
Design discontinued
1938
The Buffalo nickel or Indian Head nickel is a copper–nickel five-cent piece that was struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser.
As part of a drive to beautify the coinage, five denominations of US coins had received new designs between 1907 and 1909. In 1911, Taft administration officials decided to replace Charles E. Barber's Liberty Head design for the nickel, and commissioned Fraser to do the work. They were impressed by Fraser's designs showing a Native American and an American bison. The designs were approved in 1912, but were delayed several months because of objections from the Hobbs Manufacturing Company, which made mechanisms to detect slugs in nickel-operated machines. The company was not satisfied by changes made in the coin by Fraser, and in February 1913, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh decided to issue the coins despite the objections.
Despite attempts by the Mint to adjust the design, the coins proved to strike indistinctly, and to be subject to wear—the dates were easily worn away in circulation. In 1938, after the expiration of the minimum 25-year period during which the design could not be replaced without congressional authorization, it was replaced by the Jefferson nickel, designed by Felix Schlag. Fraser's design is admired today, and has been used on commemorative coins and the gold American Buffalo series.
The Buffalonickel or Indian Head nickel is a copper–nickel five-cent piece that was struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed...
love-token fad waned in the early 20th century; love tokens engraved on buffalonickels are rare. During this period, hobo-style coin alteration also occurred...
The Jefferson nickel has been the five-cent coin struck by the United States Mint since 1938, when it replaced the Buffalonickel. From 1938 until 2004...
design, which became known as the Buffalonickel, went into production in February 1913. Although no 1913 Liberty head nickels were officially struck, five...
notable in American history for his distinctive profile on the Buffalonickel or Indian Head nickel of 1913 to 1938. Siŋté Máza was the Chief's tribal name....
primary connections occurred in Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Toledo. The Nickel Plate Road was constructed in 1881...
commemorates both the National Museum of the American Indian and the Buffalonickel, the latter serving as the basis for the dollar's design. The coin was...
These are the mintage quantities for strikings of the United States nickel. P = Philadelphia Mint D = Denver Mint S = San Francisco Mint W = West Point...
famously on the reverse side of the "buffalonickel" from 1913 to 1938. In 2005, the United States Mint coined a nickel with a new depiction of the bison...
three models, along with Iron Tail, selected for James Fraser's famous BuffaloNickel. Two Moons died in 1917 at his home in Montana at the age of 70. Two...
Tigerland is a 2000 American war drama film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell. It takes place in a training camp for soldiers to be...
The Nickel City Opera (known as NC Opera Buffalo and NCO) is an American opera company based in Buffalo, New York and is today one of the leading operas...
Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel was introduced in February 1913, replacing the Liberty Head design. These were the first official strikings of nickels in 1913...
Indians, including Bela Lyon Pratt's Indian Head gold pieces (1908), the Buffalonickel (1913) by James Earle Fraser, who worked from Native American models...
Saint-Gaudens double eagle and eagle and the Pratt half and quarter eagle. The buffalonickel and the Lincoln penny are also faulty from a practical standpoint. All...
hunting (hunting of the American bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo) was an activity fundamental to the economy and society of the Plains Indians...
Nickel City may refer to: A nickname for Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada A nickname for Thompson, Manitoba, Canada A nickname for Buffalo, New York, U...
operated by the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) between Chicago and Buffalo, New York via Cleveland, Ohio, with through service to...