Coin Collector's Guide to the Indian Head Nickel

The Indian Head Nickel is better known as the Buffalo Nickel to most folks. It was minted from 1913 to 1938 but it was common to find those in your pocket change even well into the 1970s. I remember getting them as a kid for fun from relatives. They seemed to be more of a novelty at that time. However, make no mistake, they are collectables in every sense of the word. The great thing about the beloved Indian Head Nickel (Buffalo Nickel) is that they are very inexpensive in circulated condition. I've seen them for as little as $.25 cents. That makes collecting them and filling an album easy on the pocket book while giving the satisfaction of a great collection! One of the best bargains in beginning coin collections for sure! There has been renewed intrest in the last few years in the Indian Head Nickel so I'm confident that reasonable prices won't be around much longer!

The Indian Head Nickel (Buffalo Nickel) was designed by sculpter James Earle Fraser. At the time of President Roosevelt's time in office, he wanted the design of coins changed as most coins of the age were designed by Charles E. Barber (Barber Dime, Barber Quarter, Barber Half Dollar) and the President considered his designs "ugly". In 1911, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh, who had worked with Roosevelt in the past and agreed with his opinions on U.S. coinage design and hired James Earle Fraser to design a new nickel. This happened after the Roosevelt Presidency was complete. The new design came out during the Taft Presidency.

The obverse (front) features a profile of a Native American which was a composite portrait of three Native American chiefs: Iron Tail, Big Tree, and Two Moons. The "buffalo" portrayed on the reverse (back) was an American Bison, Black Diamond, from the Bronx Zoo.