1913-S Buffalo Nickel, Type 1 Reverse — First Year of Issue, Fraser Design

1913 Buffalo Nickel (Indian Head Nickel), a United States five-cent piece designed by James Earle Fraser and struck in a 75% copper, 25% nickel alloy at the San Francisco Mint. This is the inaugural year of issue for the series, with the obverse portrait drawn from composite Native American sitters and the reverse bison associated with Black Diamond, the American Bison then resident at the Central Park Zoo. The reverse is confirmed Type 1, with the bison standing on a raised mound — the earlier of the two 1913 reverse varieties, replaced mid-year by the Type 2 flat-ground design after the raised mound proved prone to rapid wear.

The date 1913 reads clearly on the obverse — a meaningful distinction within this series, where date wear to illegibility is common on circulated examples. The S mint mark is confirmed below "FIVE CENTS" on the reverse, identifying this as a San Francisco Mint strike. The 1913-S Type 1 carries a collector premium over the equivalent Philadelphia issue, with a mintage of 2,105,000 — the lowest of the three mints producing the Type 1 reverse in the inaugural year.

Specifications:

• Issuing Country: United States
• Year: 1913
• Mint: San Francisco Mint
• Mint Mark: Present — S, located below "FIVE CENTS" on reverse
• Type: Type 1 (raised mound reverse)
• Denomination: Five Cents
• Series: Buffalo Nickel (Indian Head Nickel)
• Designer: James Earle Fraser
• Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
• Weight: 5.0 g
• Diameter: 21.2 mm
• Edge: Plain
• Mintage: 2,105,000

CONDITION

Please refer to the photographs for a detailed condition assessment.

Consigned from a private collection through Mesilla Valley Estate Sales. We sell numismatic lots on behalf of our consignors only — never from resale markets or third-party dealers — and stand behind the authenticity of every coin we offer.