Numismatic

1929 Buffalo Nickel BU

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The 1929 Buffalo Nickel stands as a classic representative of early twentieth-century American coin design. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint, this five-cent piece carries no mint mark, a traditional feature for coins produced at the main facility during this era. Kept in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, the coin preserves the sharp details of its original striking, allowing observers to appreciate the artistry as it looked when it first entered circulation. On the obverse, the profile of an American Indian faces right, a powerful portrait created by sculptor James Earle Fraser. The word LIBERTY is inscribed along the upper right edge, with the date 1929 clearly struck at the lower left. Fraser's design captures a rugged, lifelike texture that departed from the highly stylized allegorical figures common on earlier United States coinage. The reverse showcases a massive American bison standing atop a raised mound. Above the animal, the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is visible, while the denomination FIVE CENTS is boldly displayed in the space below the mound. This combination of national symbols remains one of the most celebrated and distinctly American themes ever captured on a circulating coin.