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James Earle Fraser, a famous sculptor noted for his American
West imagery, began corresponding with the Mint in 1911, upon hearing a
replacement was under consideration for the
Liberty Nickel. He proposed
the following in his letter of September 19:
The idea of the
Indian and buffalo on the same coin is, without doubt, purely American and
seems to be singularly appropriate to have on one of our national coins.
Fraser's lobbying paid off, as he was selected as the designer of the new nickel. Fraser depicted a Native
American on the obverse, sitting three different Indian chiefs as models to
form a composite portrait. In keeping with the western theme, an
American bison, more commonly called a buffalo, was selected for the
dominant reverse feature. The coin's bison was modeled after a
resident of the New York Zoological Gardens named "Black Diamond".
The
Buffalo Nickel became a reality on March 4, 1913, the last day in
office for President Howard Taft, who received a bag full of the new nickels
at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Native American center in New York.
There were two varieties of the Buffalo Nickel in 1913. Type 1 nickels were minted for
only a few months in 1913, characterized by the wording FIVE CENTS on a raised
mound on the reverse, as shown in the photo directly below. This was quickly recognized as a rapid wear spot,
so the mound was reduced to a straight line. The area below the line was
recessed, where FIVE CENTS received greater protection against wear. The
straight line resulted in Type 2 Buffalo Nickels.
US Coin
Values Advisor has completed
Coin Value Tables™ for the Buffalo Nickel,
reporting price trends over a long period of time for individual coins of
this series.
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Buffalo Nickel
Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
21.2 mm |
5.00 g |
1913-1938 |
.250 Cu .750
Ni |
James Earle Fraser |
Plain |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
After debuting in 1913, minting of the Buffalo Nickel continued
intermittently until 1938. None were made in 1922, 1932, and 1933. By the end of 1937, plans were in full motion to replace the
Buffalo Nickel.
The last of them were minted in 1938.
Buffalo Nickels are very popular with modern day collectors. A number of
well researched books are available to assist numismatists in their quest for
knowledge about this quintessential American coin.
There are at least three key date Buffalo Nickels that command attention from serious
collectors every time a specimen is offered for sale. The last two of them are so rare, so
you'll only occasionally be able to buy the coins on eBay. The 1913-S
Type 2 is a great coin to own, but is still within the buying range of many
coin collectors. Here are the links to the key date Buffalo Nickels:
As always, when you buy rare coins on eBay, make
sure they've been certified as authentic by one of the four leading grading
service companies: PCGS, NGC, ICG, or ANACS. This is especially true
for the 1937 Three-legged Buffalo Nickel, as many fakes of the rarity exist. The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for a coin of that date in G-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured
for sale in the right hand side is not necessarily the same condition coin
as that represented in the value trend analysis on left hand side.
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1913-S T2
Buffalo Nickel
Condition: G-4
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1918/7-D
Buffalo Nickel
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $4.50
1980: $40.00
1995: $75.00
2003: $125
2007: $325
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Value Trends
1950: $7.50
1980: $175
1995: $300
2002: $400
2007: $1250
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.80%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
9.39%
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1937-D 3 leg
Buffalo Nickel
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $1.25
1980: $125
1995: $100
2002: $200
2007: $525
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
11.18%
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Half Cents
1793-1857 |
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Large Cents
1793-1857 |
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Flying Eagle Cents
1856-1858 |
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Indian Head Cents
1859-1909 |
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Lincoln Cents
1909-present |
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Two and Three
Cents 1851-1889 |
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Shield Nickels
1866-1883 |
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Liberty Nickels
1883-1913 |
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Buffalo Nickels
1913-1938 |
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Jefferson Nickels 1938-present |
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Early Half Dimes
1792-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 |
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Early Dimes
1796-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 |
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Barber Dimes
1892-1916 |
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Mercury Dimes
1916-1945 |
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946-present |
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Twenty Cents
1875-1878 |
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Early Quarters
1796-1838 |
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Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 |
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Barber Quarters
1892-1916 |
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Standing Liberty
Quarters 1916-1930 |
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Washington
Quarters 1932-present |
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Early Half Dollars
1794-1839 |
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Seated Liberty
Half Dollars 1839-1891 |
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Barber Half
Dollars 1892-1915 |
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollars 1916-1947 |
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Franklin Half
Dollars 1948-1963 |
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Kennedy Half Dollars 1964-Present |
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Early Dollars
1794-1804 |
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Gobrecht Dollars 1836-1839 |
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Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 |
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Trade Dollars
1873-1885 |
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Morgan Dollars
1878-1921 |
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Peace Dollars
1921-1935 |
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Eisenhower Dollars
1971-1978 |
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Anthony Dollars
1979-1981,1999 |
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Sacagawea Dollars
2000-present |
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Presidential Dollars
2007-present |
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Gold Dollars
1849-1889 |
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Early Quarter Eagles 1796-1834 |
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Classic Head Quarter Eagles 1834-1839 |
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Coronet Quarter
Eagles 1840-1907 |
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Indian Head
Quarter Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Three Dollar Gold
1854-1889 |
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Early Half Eagles
1795-1834 |
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Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 |
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Coronet Half
Eagles 1839-1908 |
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Indian Head Half
Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Early Eagles
1795-1804 |
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Coronet Eagles
1838-1907 |
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Indian Head Eagles
1907-1933 |
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Coronet Double
Eagles 1849-1907 |
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St-Gaudens Double
Eagles 1907-1933 |
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These are clay models of the Buffalo Nickel
sculpted by James Earle Fraser. The model on the obverse was actually
a composite of three Indian chiefs named Iron Tail, Big Tree and Two Moons.
The bison model, named "Black Diamond", lived in the New York Bronx Zoo, and
steadfastly refused to cooperate with Fraser. The artist convinced a
zoo keeper to distract the massive animal in order to capture the side
profile he was after.
Public domain image courtesy of
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. |
