Depicts the head of an Indian facing right, with LIBERTY in small letters at the upper-right edge, and the date at the lower left. The designer’s initial “F” is below the date.

The portrait was modeled from life by studying three Indian models Iron Tail, an Oglala Sioux chief, Two Moons, a Cheyenne chief, and Big Tree, a Kiowa chief.

Depicts a bison standing on a raised mound, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM above and value on a mound below.

According to the legend, the buffalo used as a model for this coin was Black Diamond (1893-1915), a famous buffalo at the Central Park zoo in New York City.

The American bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly extinct by a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and introduction of bovine diseases from domestic cattle, and have made a recent resurgence largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves.