Original United States Coinage | Buffalo Nickel Series (1913–1938) | Four Circulated Coins | Historical American Collectibles
 
 
Offered for sale is a collection of four original-style United States Buffalo Nickels, also known as Indian Head Nickels, featuring one of the most recognizable designs in American coinage history.
 
Issued between 1913 and 1938, the Buffalo Nickel was designed by American sculptor James Earle Fraser. Its distinctive design features a Native American portrait on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse.
 
The four coins offered in this collection display varying degrees of circulation wear, surface discoloration, scratches, and natural-looking patination.
 
Each coin retains a recognizable Native American portrait and bison design. The dates are heavily worn or obscured and cannot be reliably identified from the supplied photographs.
 
The accompanying photographs depict the exact four coins included in this collection.
 
Historical Background
Introduced in 1913, the Buffalo Nickel replaced the Liberty Head Nickel and became an enduring symbol of early twentieth-century American coinage.
 
The coin's design was created by James Earle Fraser, who sought to incorporate imagery associated with the American West.
 
The obverse features a composite Native American portrait, while the reverse depicts an American bison standing upon a raised landscape.
 
Although commonly called the Buffalo Nickel, the animal represented is an American bison.
One of the series' distinctive characteristics is the location of the date, which appears on a raised portion of the Native American's shoulder. This placement made dates particularly susceptible to wear during circulation.
 
Consequently, many surviving Buffalo Nickels exhibit partially readable or completely worn dates.
The Buffalo Nickel remained in production through 1938, when it was replaced by the Jefferson Nickel.
 
Design Features
Obverse – Front
Right-facing Native American portrait.
Traditional hairstyle with braided hair and feathers.
Inscription "LIBERTY" along the upper-right edge.
Date originally positioned beneath the portrait on the shoulder.
Original design by James Earle Fraser.
 
Reverse – Back
American bison standing in profile.
Inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" along the upper edge.
National motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
Denomination "FIVE CENTS" beneath the bison.
Original Fraser reverse design.