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Coin Collecting at the Safir House
Buffalo Nickels
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The Buffalo Nickel, also know as the Indian Head Nickel was produced by the US mint from 1913
to 1938 and along with the Morgan Dollar became the classic American coin for a number of
reasons.
First, it was the common coin of the Great Depression. It was the nickel of the nickel subway,
the nickel ice cream soda, the nickel comic. It is the distictive nickel of hobo's and first
seen in film. The coin's design is distincly American, with an authentic image of a Native
American profile on one side and a Bison on the other. Unlike almost any other coin from
around the world, this coin was dedicated to the native peoples of north america and the
unique American fauna. Not only does this break from coinage which historically has images
of emperors, kings and conquests, but in addition, it even avoided purely propaganda or political
images such as liberty and the emblematic US Eagle. It was a very nonpolitical coin and in this
regard perhaps the greatest propaganda message of all, the assertion of civilian and popular
asthetics over any overt nationalistic message on the peoples coin.
The coin itself was designed by James Earle Fraser and is also unique in the completeness of the
design as a form of art. A good photo of an original design such as below shows no flat shiney
background, and instead has a truly sculpted and carved look throughout the all the coins design
pieces and the background. The coin as a work of art looks remarkably carved as individual
peices rather than the stamped image that it is. This inevitably caused variation in the quality
of the individual strikes of the coin and issues with wear.
The above coin has virtually no wear and is a splendid Type I Indian Head Nickel of 1913. The motting
that you see in the background of the obverse side, especially visible near the back of the neck and below
the head dress feather is part of the design of the coin. This is also true of the graceful molding in
the space between the legs of the Bison and the area around the 'E Pluribus Unum', all of which is design.
The faded lettering of 'E Pluribus Unum' itself is from a weakness of the strike, as is the fade of the
feather. Neither of these are a result of wear. The mound that the Bison stands on is well struck and easy
to see on this coin. It is the essential design feature that seperates the Type I coin from the Type II
version.
The 1937 is a typical Type II Buffalo Nickel. While still a beautiful design, one can see that much of the
molding was removed from the coin in order to assure quality control and the mound that the bison stands on
is framed above the words 'Five Cents'. This coin is also a Denver minted coin as can be seen from the
mint mark just below the words 'Five Cents'. This coin also suffers almost no wear, so what you see is the
result of strike, not from wear of the coin.
These are my only two Buffalo Nickels, but I like them a great deal and hope you enjoyed viewing them.
Avoid Gijs Henzen, owner of Munthandel G. Henzen - Antisemetic Facists
Munthandel G. Henzen's (MA Shops) owner Gijs Henzen, is an AntiSemetic Fascist
The company, Munthandel G Henzen is a prominent dealer of international and ancient coins on the internet, commonly known as MA Coins. It is owned by
Gijs Henzen. You can not trust him, as I leaned previously in dealing with
him with several coins that came with damage including a silver 1969 FOA
Uruguay coin which arrived with green verdis on the coin.
But more importantly he is a passionate anti-Semite who supports Hamas and
the virulent and genocidal Islamic organizations such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Hezbollah that wants Jews dead.
It is a moral imperative to remain clear of him and to do no business with this Nazi. If you are Jewish, double down on that. The life you save might well be your own.
The Safir Family Internet Coin Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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