Description

The Buffalo Nickel or Indian Head nickel was a copper-nickel five-cent piece struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. In 1913 the Liberty Head nickel, which had remained in service since 1883 was replaced by a new design, the so-called Buffalo (more properly, the Indian) nickel by James Earle Fraser, a well-known sculptor.

It was found that the relief of the mound caused the inscription in that area to wear quickly, so the bottom part of the reverse for 1913 coins was subsequently redesigned, changes enlarged the legend "FIVE CENTS" and changed the ground on which the bison stands from a hill or raised ground (Type I, KM# 133) to the flat ground (Type II, KM# 134). The Type I is distinguished by the presence of a mound with FIVE CENTS inscribed on it.

Over 1.2 billion Buffalo Nickels were minted from 1913 through 1938 at three mints; Philadelphia (no mintmark), San Francisco (S), and Denver (D). The mintmark can be found on the reverse under the denomination, while the designer’s initial “F” is below the date.

From its inception, the coin was referred to as the "Buffalo nickel", reflecting the American colloquialism for the North American bison. As the piece is 75% copper and 25% nickel, prominent numismatist Stuart Mosher objected to the nomenclature in the 1940s, writing that he was "uncertain why it is called a 'Buffalo nickel' although the name is preferable to 'Bison copper'". The numismatic publication with the greatest circulation, Coin World, calls it an Indian Head nickel, while R.S. Yeoman's Red Book refers to it as an "Indian Head or Buffalo type".