The Buffalo Nickel__Story

James Fraser designed the Buffalo Nickel in 1911 and the first coins were minted in 1913. The nickel was designed from a composite of three prominent Native Americans: Iron Tail, Two Moons, and Chief John Tree. Fraser's vision for the Buffalo Head Nickel was for it to be a truly American coin, which it quickly became.

During the Buffalo Nickels' 25 years of being minted, there were numerous modification as both the text, date and value on the coin, and the die to make the coin, were easily worn. Despite the technical concerns of the time, Fraser accomplished his goal to design "a coin that could not be mistaken for any other country's coin...the buffalo, as part of our western background, was 100% American."

The coin used to make this item is a "Full Date" grade which signifies strong overall detail. They have been carefully tumbled and antiqued to bring out their rich detail.