History of the Buffalo Head Nickel

History of the Buffalo Head Nickel

The Buffalo Head Nickel (also known as the Indian Head Nickel and the Buffalo Nickel) was minted from 1913 to 1938. The designer of the coin was James Earle Fraser.

The Real name for the Buffalo Head Nickel is the Indian Head 5-Cent Coin. This maybe the real name of the coin but it is almost always referred to as the Buffalo Nickel.

The obverse of the Buffalo Nickel (front of the coin) is a portrait of an American Indian Facing right. It is believed that the portrait os a compilation of 3 Indian chiefs. James Fraser Identified two of the models that were used as Chief iron Tail and Chief two Moons. The third model remains a mystery because Fraser had trouble remembering the name of the third model and never officially set the record straight.

The Indian Head is the main content of the obverse of the coin. He has three feathers on his head and his hair is in a braid. The word LIBERTY is in the border at the upper right in small letters. In the lower left is the date of the Indian Head Nickel. Below the date is a small letter F, for Fraser the designer of the coin.

The Model for the Buffalo Head Nickel was a Bison

The reverse of the Buffalo Head Nickel (Back of the coin) depics and American Bison not a Buffalo. The early settlers of of America did not know that what the (American Bison)animals were, so they mistakenly started to call them Buffaloes because they look very similiar to the Asian Water Buffaloes. The Actual model for the Buffalo Nickel was a Bison named Black Diamond who was being kept at the New York Zoo.

The Bison on the "Buffalo Head Nickel" stands on a mound. Which is suppose to represent the Bison on the Great Plains. At the top of the coin is the United States of America. At the top of the coin to the right side are the words E Plurbus Unum. Under the mound the Bison is standing on at the bottom of the coin is FIVE CENTS. Below the FIVE CENTS in the center is where the mint marks for the San Francisco and Denver Mints are located.