NNP Encyclopedia data is provided in cooperation with Whitman Brands, based on catalog data organized by the Greysheet Identification System (GSID).
Entry Details
Coin Date: Buffalo Nickel Denomination (Short): 5c Denomination (Long): 5 Cents Variety: Satin Finish Variety 2: 1936 Desg: PR Composition: 75% copper; 25% nickel Strike Type: Proof Coinage Type: Buffalo nickel Coinage Years: 1913-1938 Mint Location: Philadelphia Diameter: 21.2 Weight (Grams): 5 Designer: James Earle Fraser Edge: Plain Obverse Description: James Earle Fraser's famous and simple design depicts a Native American chief with the word LIBERTY from 1-2 o'clock. The date is placed on the lower left of the chieftain's bust. Reverse Description: A full portrait of the bison, Black Diamond, with the words UNITED STATES oF AMERICA at the top periphery with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM just underneath. The denomination FIVE CENTS is spelled out at the bottom. For the Type 1, the denomination is embossed on a flat surface. General Notes: When the US Mint resumed the production of proof coins in 1936, the first Buffalo nickels of that proof series were struck with a satin finish similar to the matte proofs of a generation earlier. This did not prove popular with collectors, and the satin finish was quickly terminated in favor of a brilliant proof finish, and some collectors categorically refer to the satin proofs as Type 1 proofs while the Brilliant proofs are dubbed Type 2. About 2,000 are estimated to exist, with most encountered in the PR64-67 range. Several dozen have been certified as PR68, and PCGS has graded two as PR69.
