| Coin | Five Cents 1913 Buffalo Nickel |
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The Buffalo Nickel or Indian Head Nickel is an American copper-nickel five-cent piece (abbreviated as 5¢) that was struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. The alloy is the same as modern nickels, 75% copper and 25% nickel.
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.
Despite attempts by the Mint to adjust the design, resulting in some reverse varieties, the coins proved to strike indistinctly and to be subject to wear; the dates and even the denomination 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 authorisation, it was replaced by the Jefferson Nickel. Fraser's design is still admired today as a numismatic classic, and has been used on commemorative coins and the gold American Buffalo series.
These Buffalo Nickel five cents have not been recalled and are still current, although they do not circulate to any realistic extent - most having been worn out, lost or hoarded by collectors.
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin shows, within a plain border, the portrait of an American Indian man facing right, his plaited hair hanging below his shoulder, with a decoration of two large bird feathers hanging down in the back.
Around right, the inscription LIBERTY.
The date of issue: 1913, is in relief on the Indian's shoulder. Incuse below that, a small letter F represents the initial of the sculptor, James E. Fraser. |
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| Reverse | |
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Surrounded by a plain rim, the reverse of the coin shows an American bison (colloquially known as a buffalo, thus giving the coin its name), with its head lowered, standing to left.
Around above, the legend UNITED · STATES · OF · AMERICA. Below that, to the right and above the buffalo's back, on three lines the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM (from Latin: "Out of many, one").
In the exergue, the value and denomination in words: FIVE CENTS.
Coins struck by the Philadelphia Mint have no mint mark. Coins struck by the Denver Mint or the San Francisco Mint have a small letter D or S respectively, located below the denomination.
During the first part of the year, the reverse design had the buffalo on a "mound" in raised relief (known as Type I or Variety 1 Buffalo Nickel). Due to issues with the wearing out of the coin dies, this was changed to a flat ground with plain background; all subsequent coins (until 1938) have that design, known as Type II or Variety 2. |
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| Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Mintage comprised of:
- Philadelphia Mint: 30,992,000 circulation coins and 1,520 proofs with raised ground, plus 29,857,186 circulation coins and 1,514 proofs with flat ground
- Denver Mint: 5,337,000 coins with raised ground and 4,156,000 with flat ground (circulation only, no proofs)
- San Francisco Mint: 2,105,000 coins with raised ground and 1,209,000 with flat ground (circulation only, no proofs) |
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