Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design

E95004

The Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design is the iconic early 20th-century U.S. coin portrait featuring a composite Native American profile created by sculptor James Earle Fraser.

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Observed surface forms (3)


Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf coin obverse design
numismatic design
approvedBy U.S. Treasury Department NERFINISHED
artMovement American Renaissance (numismatic art)
collectingCategory U.S. type coin
classic U.S. nickel design
countryOfUse United States of America NERFINISHED
culturalAssociation American West NERFINISHED
Native American heritage
dateOfIntroduction 1913
denomination five-cent coin
depicts Native American man
composite Native American portrait
designedBy James Earle Fraser NERFINISHED
designerInitials F
designerInitialsPlacement below date
designerNationality American
designerProfession sculptor
edgeContext plain-edge nickel
features braided hair
feathered headdress
prominent cheekbone and nose
right-facing Native American profile
followedBy Jefferson nickel obverse design
iconicStatus iconic U.S. coin portrait
inscription LIBERTY
date
inscriptionPlacement LIBERTY near rim in front of forehead
date on shoulder truncation
introducedBy United States Mint NERFINISHED
isCompositeOf several Native American models
materialContext copper-nickel coinage
medium relief sculpture
mintEngravingContext early 20th-century U.S. coinage redesign
mintingTechnologyContext early 20th-century hubbed dies
numismaticSeries Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design self-linksurface differs
surface form: Buffalo nickel series
pairedWithReverseDesign American bison (buffalo) reverse design
periodOfUseEnd 1938
periodOfUseStart 1913
portraitOrientation right-facing
precededBy Liberty Head nickel obverse design
reliefType bas-relief
replacedDesignOn Liberty Head nickel NERFINISHED
shapeContext circular coin face
style realistic portraiture
subjectTypeDepicted Native American
usedOn Buffalo nickel
Indian Head nickel NERFINISHED

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

James Earle Fraser notableWork Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design
this entity surface form: Buffalo nickel
James Earle Fraser notableWork Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design
James Earle Fraser notableWork Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design
this entity surface form: Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel reverse design
Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design numismaticSeries Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel obverse design self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Buffalo nickel series