Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938)

Avidly pursued by collectors, the

Buffalo nickel

captures the spirit of America’s old West. Designer James Earle Fraser created this collector favorite when he chose the profile of a Native American (a composite of three chiefs) for the Buffalo nickel’s obverse, and the American bison (said to be modeled after “Black Diamond” of New York’s Central Park Zoo) for the reverse. Today, the Buffalo nickel is still considered a “truly American” coin.