1921 Buffalo Nickel

The Buffalo Nickel series ran from 1913 to 1938. James Earle Fraser designed the coin to capture the American West. Fraser chose a Native American profile for the obverse and an American bison for the reverse. The Treasury Department selected his design to replace the Liberty Head nickel. The 1913 design featured the bison standing on a mound, but the mint quickly changed this to a flat line to protect the coin's date from wear. The series ended in 1938 when the Jefferson Nickel replaced it. The United States Mint produced the final Buffalo Nickels in 1938 at the Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco mints.

Start your collection with common dates from the 1930s to learn the series without high costs. Many Buffalo Nickels suffer from weak strikes, so check the details on the bison's hip and the Indian's cheek. The date on these coins wears away easily, and many specimens appear as 'dateless' in bulk bins. Avoid paying premiums for dateless coins unless you plan to use a date-restoration acid. Beware of altered dates on 1914/3 overdates or 1918/7-D coins, as counterfeiters often add or change numbers on common dates to mimic these rarities.

This series includes key dates — check individual coin pages for rarity details.