The American bison was on the back of the buffalo Indian-head nickel
James Earle Fraser, a sculptor well known for his Native American sculpture "The End of the Trail" designed the buffalo Indian head nickel in 1913. The design was created to pay homage to the beauty of the American West.
Coin Design
The face of the coin is a combination of three Native American chiefs known as Iron Tail, Two Moons and Big Tree who had previously modeled for the sculptor. The bison model for the back of the coin was called Black Diamond and lived at New York’s Central Park Zoo.
Controversy
Critics condemned the use of the bison because it was nearly extinct when the coin was issued as well as for the loss of freedom for many Native Americans who were forced to live on reservations.
Years of Production
There were 1.2 billion nickels produced from 1913 to 1938 at the Denver (D), Philadelphia (no mint mark) and San Francisco (S) mints with the exception of 1922, 1932 and 1933.
Design Flaws
The "Type 1" variety buffalo nickel was the initial coin produced in February1913. In April, it became apparent that the raised mound for the Bison was responsible for the rapid erosion of the coin. The redesigned "Type 2" variety, with a flattened design on the back of the coin, replaced the original version.
Commemorative Coin
On June 7, 2001, the U.S. Mint issued 500,000 American buffalo commemorative coins based on the James Earle Fraser’s design. Some of proceeds from the coin provided funding for the National Museum of the American Indian.
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