Numismatic

1913 Type-I Buffalo Nickel Good

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The year 1913 marked a dramatic transformation for the United States five-cent piece, introducing a design that celebrated the imagery of the American West. Sculpted by James Earle Fraser, this first-year issue is known as the Type I variety, distinguished by the specific way the reverse is configured. On the obverse, a powerful, realistic portrait of an American Indian faces right. The reverse showcases a massive American bison standing proudly atop a raised mound of dirt. It is this raised mound that defines the Type I variety, as the design was modified later in the same year to flatten the ground beneath the bison's feet. Struck in copper-nickel at the Philadelphia Mint, these coins do not display a mint mark. This particular specimen survives in Good condition, showing the honest wear of a coin that circulated widely during the early twentieth century, yet it still retains the essential character of Fraser's iconic artistic vision.