Image source: CoinSnap App
TOday I am sharing a piece from my coin collection I just picked up from an online seller. It is the 1914-D Indian Head Nickel. The Indian Head nickel is more commonly known as known as the Buffalo Nickel to coin collectors du to the iconic Bison on the reverse of the coin.
The Buffalo nickel is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, non-silver alloy coin. It is a classic American coin minted from 1913 to 1938. The designer for both obverse and reverse of the coin is the sculptor James Earle Fraser. Fraser also designed the WWI Victory medal and the Navy Cross medal.
An intersting little bit of information and side note. James Fraser's father. Thomas Fraser, was one of the men sent to recover remains of Custer's regiment after they were soundly defeated by the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The coin is composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, has a diameter of 21.2mm and weighs 5 grams.
The obverse of the coin is of a Native American profile. It is said to be a composite based on several real Native American leaders. Two of these is known to be Iron Tail (who's image is at the beginning of this post) and Two Moons.
The word "LIBERTY" and the year of minting appear on the front. Because of the the high relief of the minting year, it is hard to find samples with full dates these days. A full date is one of the key details in grading this coin.
As you can see, this particular sample has a full date, although a little worn down. The mintage for the 1914-D is 3,912,000 which is relatively low, especially for early Buffalo nickels.
Teh reverse of the coin shows a majestic American bison (often referred to as a buffalo), believed to be modeled after a bison named Black Diamond from the Bronx Zoo. Another fun fact I learned was that Black diamond, after passing, was sold to a butcher in the Bronx.
The coin is inscribed with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", "E PLURIBUS UNUM", and the coin's denomination: "FIVE CENTS". The mint mark, in this case, "D" for Denver mint, appears under the "FIVE CENTS".
Another real key indicator of this particular coins condition is the horn on the bison, or buffalo. As you can see on this one, the horn is still somewhat visible. but it is starting to wear into the rest of the head.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my latest purchase and some of the reads in the links I inserted.
If you have any further information about this coin you would like to add, like historical information I left out or want to correct any I may have gotten wrong, please drop it in the comments.
Thanks for reading, Joe
Notes: -All content is mine unless otherwise annotated. -Images are my own unless otherwise noted. -Photos edited using MS Paint and/or iPhone SE. -Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.
Banner image from Hive Veterans Discord Server