After the first purchase online, I set my sights on buying something that I had always wanted to have but never did. It was the 1930 Buffalo Nickel, also known as the Indian Head Nickel. But officially it is named Buffalo Nickel.
For whatever reason I have this memory in my head of an episode of the TV sitcom "Silver Spoons" in which the episode is wrapped around finding a Three-Legged Buffalo. Of course, this episode was talking about the 1936 version of the nickel. Deep in the back of my brain, I can hear the voice screaming in excitement "It's a THREE-LEGGED BUFFALO!!!!!!!" followed by a very shitty laugh track.
It is today, a very sought after coin. These coins in the best of conditions, pristine and uncirculated (near mint condition), can fetch well over $100,000 USD at the right auction. All the way down to nearly $500 per coin that has been circulated simply due to the error of the buffalo having three legs minted on the coin.
Knowing that I would never have enough money to own a Three-Legged Buffalo nickel, I simply went back to find the oldest coin that was in the best condition that the seller had at the time. And that was an older coin of 1930 mint date. Up to the point of purchase, I had never seen a Buffalo nickel before. I had heard the older generations talk about having them when they grew up but never heard anyone talk about still having one or a few or several just laying around since the nickel was changed to the Jefferson nickel in 1938.
The Buffalo Nickel was minted from 1913 until 1938. Not a very long time before the U.S. Mint moved on to the Jefferson nickel. Most sources state that the Buffalo nickel: Designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser, it is celebrated for its distinctly American frontier motifs: a composite Native American profile on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse.
This 1930 specimen is the first that I have owned. But I feel it will not be the only one to enter into my personal collection. I deeply intend on purchasing more Buffalo nickels in the future and hopefully through the same online seller as long as prices do not turn astronomically high. Wish Me Luck!!!!!
For whatever reason I have this memory in my head of an episode of the TV sitcom "Silver Spoons" in which the episode is wrapped around finding a Three-Legged Buffalo. Of course, this episode was talking about the 1936 version of the nickel. Deep in the back of my brain, I can hear the voice screaming in excitement "It's a THREE-LEGGED BUFFALO!!!!!!!" followed by a very shitty laugh track.
It is today, a very sought after coin. These coins in the best of conditions, pristine and uncirculated (near mint condition), can fetch well over $100,000 USD at the right auction. All the way down to nearly $500 per coin that has been circulated simply due to the error of the buffalo having three legs minted on the coin.
Knowing that I would never have enough money to own a Three-Legged Buffalo nickel, I simply went back to find the oldest coin that was in the best condition that the seller had at the time. And that was an older coin of 1930 mint date. Up to the point of purchase, I had never seen a Buffalo nickel before. I had heard the older generations talk about having them when they grew up but never heard anyone talk about still having one or a few or several just laying around since the nickel was changed to the Jefferson nickel in 1938.
The Buffalo Nickel was minted from 1913 until 1938. Not a very long time before the U.S. Mint moved on to the Jefferson nickel. Most sources state that the Buffalo nickel: Designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser, it is celebrated for its distinctly American frontier motifs: a composite Native American profile on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse.
This 1930 specimen is the first that I have owned. But I feel it will not be the only one to enter into my personal collection. I deeply intend on purchasing more Buffalo nickels in the future and hopefully through the same online seller as long as prices do not turn astronomically high. Wish Me Luck!!!!!
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