Buffalo Nickel Set in book

Indian Head or Buffalo Nickel Series 1913 - 1938. Popularly called buffalo nickels, these coins are also known as Indian Head or Bison nickels. With their portrait of a Native American on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse, Buffalo nickels are tributes to this land's native heritage. Designer James Earle Fraser wanted something unique for this country, a coin which could not be mistaken for another coin in the world outside the United States. The Buffalo nickel offers collectors detail and realism found on few other US coins. And its enduring popularity is largely due to its uniquely American character, which dramatically captures the spirit of the Old West. First struck in 1913, the original coin design, known as Variety I, portrays the bison standing on a raised mound with the words FIVE CENTS in relief on the mound. Because the FIVE CENTS quickly wore down, the nickel's design had to be modified. The revised design, issued later the same year, is known as Variety II. It eliminates the raised mound and has the bison standing on a straight line, with the wording in a recessed area beneath the line.

Fraser's initial is located beneath the date on the obverse, and the mint mark is located below FIVE CENTS on the reverse. The coin's metal composition is 75% copper and 25% nickel. Coins included in this set.

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