Indian Head nickel
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The Indian Head nickel, also known as the Buffalo nickel, was an American nickel five-cent piece minted from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser.
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[edit] Design history
The Liberty Head nickel design had been introduced in 1883 by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt had embarked upon a campaign to change the designs of U.S. coinage, most of which had been designed by Barber. Roosevelt considered Barber's coinage ugly [1] and preferred ancient Greek designs, which incorporated high relief. During his administration, Roosevelt had the old double eagle replaced with a new design by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, but most of the minor coinage was not altered. In 1911, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh, who had worked with Roosevelt in the past and agreed with his opinions on U.S. coinage design, hired James Earle Fraser to design a new nickel [2].
Fraser featured a profile of a Native American on the obverse of the coin, which was a composite portrait of three Native American chiefs: Iron Tail, Big Tree, and Two Moons. The "buffalo" portrayed on the reverse was an American Bison, Black Diamond, from the Bronx Zoo.
[edit] Design changes
Soon after the Indian Head nickel went into circulation, it became apparent that the reverse design was problematic; the "FIVE CENTS" inscription, which was on a raised mound at the bottom of the reverse, was one of the highest spots on the coin, and thus wore away very quickly. As a result, the design was modified by Charles Barber during its first year of production. Barber removed the raised mound and lowered the relief of the inscription so that it would not wear away as quickly, along with other design changes [3]. However, one problem that was not addressed was the placement of the date. Like "FIVE CENTS" in the original design, the date was placed at a relief that exposed it to a great deal of wear. (A similar problem would later be seen on the Standing Liberty Quarter.) This issue was never definitively addressed by the Mint, so many Indian Head nickels have their dates partially or completely obliterated through extensive circulation.
A more radical, if unofficial, design change for the Indian Head nickel was the advent of the hobo nickel. Enterprising artists would scrape away the original obverse and modify the Native American, his headdress, or the background to create a completely original work of art. Even more ambitious efforts completely eliminated the original design save a few key features (usually the date).
An interesting design variety was produced in 1937 (one year before the production of these nickels was stopped)-the 1937-D "3-Legged" buffalo nickel. The buffalo's right foreleg is gone on this rare error. This was produced when the leg was accidentally ground off in the process of removing marks from the die. In Mint State condition this coin is worth five thousand dollars.
[edit] Mintmarks
Indian Head nickels were minted at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints and either have a 'D', 'S', or no mintmark on the reverse of the coin below the words FIVE CENTS.
[edit] See also
American Buffalo, a recently introduced gold coin which has a very similar design.
[edit] External links
- Complete US Buffalo (Indian Head) Nickel information by year and type. Histories, photos, grading, mintages, mints, diameters, weights, metal contents, edge designs, designers, and more.
- Buffalo Nickels at US Coin Facts Information about the Buffalo Nickel for both the collector and the investor.
- Buffalo Nickel pictures
| Five-cent nickels of the United States |
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Shield • Liberty Head • Indian Head • Jefferson • 1913 Liberty Head • 1937-D 3-leg Indian Head |
