Bill Jones' 1913 Proof Set
5C, Type 1

Owner Comments:

The mint introduced the Buffalo nickel in March of 1913. Few people lamented the passing of the Liberty Nickel which seemed dull and uninteresting when it was compared to its classically American successor. Although most people admired the Buffalo nickel, two flaws were soon noted in its design. It was noted that the date and the denomination “FIVE CENTS” might be prone to excessive wear. Mint engraver Charles Barber immediately tackled the problem and had the new dies ready by May.

James Frazer’s original concept for this design included roughed up, not the conventional smooth fields around the main devices that had normally been seen on U.S. coinage. The fields in Barber’s interpretation of the design were smooth. Apparently Frazer approved of Barber’s modifications.

With a total mintage of 1,520 piece, the Type 1 1913 Buffalo nickel is a very scarce coin. Adding to the scarceness is that some pieces were spent because they bore a very close resemblance to the business strike coins. Yet for the true collector, studying this design with all of the detail that Frazer intended for it is a treat.