Buffalo Nickel

The buffalo nickel is one of the favorite coins among coin collectors and was minted from 1913 to 1938. The Treasury Secretary Franklin McVeagh commissioned a famous artist James Fraser to create a design for the new coin. Fraser sketched a rugged Indian head for the front of the coin and on the reverse side, sketched the image of an American Bison. McVeagh approved the design and the first buffalo nickel was minted in 1913. The “five cents” under the mound on the back of the coin eroded too rapidly once in circulation so the mound was replaced with a broad line. The buffalo nicked was minted for 25 years and was composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel. One of the favorite buffalo nickels among collectors is the three-legged buffalo.

The Indian head used on the buffalo nickel was composed of three Indian Chiefs but the identities of these chiefs have been unresolved. The model for the buffalo on the nickel was housed at the New York Zoological Park and named Black Diamond. The buffalo pictured on the nickel is actually a bison, not a buffalo. The biggest complaint about the buffalo nickel was that it was unable to withstand heavy use. The date on the nickel wore down rapidly with use but the defect was never corrected as long as the buffalo nickel was minted.

Buffalo nickels can vary in price and if graded and mounted in a holder by either PCGS or NGC can bring a premium price. An example of a reasonably priced nickel on the Blanchard website is the 1938-D Buffalo Nickel that is graded at a MS-65 and costs $58. A mid range coin is the 1913-S Buffalo Type II Nickel graded at MS-65 and priced at $4,685.