1936 BUFFALO NICKEL - GRADES "GOOD"

The Buffalo Nickel (real name is the Indian Head nickel), is an American nickel five-cent piece minted from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. The Liberty Head nickel design had been introduced in 1883 by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt had embarked upon a campaign to change the designs of U.S. coinage, most of which had been designed by Barber. Roosevelt considered Barber's coins ugly and preferred ancient Greek designs, which incorporated high relief. During his administration, Roosevelt replaced the old double eagle with a new design by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, but most of the minor coins were not altered. In 1911, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh, who had worked with Roosevelt previously and agreed with his opinions on U.S. coin design, hired James Earle Fraser to design a new nickel. Fraser featured a profile of an American Indian on the obverse of the coin, which was a composite portrait of three American Indian chiefs: Iron Tail, Big Tree, and Two Moons. The "buffalo" portrayed on the reverse was an American Bison, Black Diamond, from the Central Park Zoo. Soon after the Buffalo Nickel went into circulation, it became apparent that the reverse design was problematic; the "FIVE CENTS" inscription, which was on a raised mound at the bottom, was one of the highest spots on the coin, and it wore away very quickly. As a result, the design was modified by Charles Barber during the first year of production. Barber removed the raised mound and lowered the relief of the inscription so that it would not wear as quickly, along with other design changes. However, one problem that was not addressed was the placement of the date. Like the "FIVE CENTS" in the original reverse design, the date was placed at a relief on the obverse that exposed it to wear. (A similar problem would later be seen on the Standing Liberty Quarter.) This issue was never definitively addressed by the Mint, so many Buffalo Nickels have dates that are partially or completely obliterated through normal circulation. A more radical, if unofficial, design change for the Buffalo Nickel was the advent of the hobo nickel. Enterprising artists would scrape away the original obverse and modify the American Indian, his headdress, or the background to create a completely original work of art. Even more ambitious efforts completely eliminated the original design save a few key features (usually the date). An interesting design variety was produced in 1937 (one year before the production of these nickels ended)-the 1937-D "3-Legged" Buffalo Nickel. The buffalo's right foreleg is gone on this rare error. This was produced when the leg was accidentally ground off in the process of removing marks from the die. In Mint State condition this coin is worth a significant amount of money. Some normal Buffalo Nickels have had the front leg ground down as an attempt to mimic the more valuable die error, but these can be distinguished by other features present on the "3-Legged" Buffalo Nickel.

YOU ARE BIDDING ON A 1936 BUFFALO NICKEL THAT GRADES "GOOD". The auction opens at only $0.05 (face value) with no reserve!! Shipping is $2.00 but if buyer has won another of my auctions the same day, then shipping can be combined (only 30 cents for each additional auction won)! I accept PayPal, personal check or money order. Thanks for looking and Good Luck bidding on this 76 year old piece of US coin history!!