Numismatic

1913-S Type-I Buffalo Nickel Fine

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In 1913, the United States introduced a dramatic departure in its minor coinage with the debut of the Buffalo Nickel. This particular specimen represents the Type I design from that first year of issue, struck at the San Francisco Mint. It is preserved in Fine condition, showing the honest wear of a coin that actively circulated through early twentieth-century American commerce. The obverse of the coin presents a powerful profile of an American Indian, facing right. The year 1913 is clearly visible at the lower left of the portrait. This design, created by sculptor James Earle Fraser, captured a rugged, realistic aesthetic that stood in sharp contrast to the classical Liberty portraits of previous eras. On the reverse, a massive American bison stands facing left on a raised mound of earth. This raised ground is the defining characteristic of the Type I variety. Below the mound, the denomination is rendered as FIVE CENTS, accompanied by the small S mint mark indicating its origin in San Francisco. The Latin motto PLURIBUS UNUM is also integrated into the reverse field, completing a design that remains one of the most celebrated in the history of American coinage.