USA "FIVE CENTS" Buffalo Nickel 1917
USA, Denver
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 5 cents |
| Krause number | KM# 134 |
| Mintage | 9,910,000 |
| Metal | Copper-Nickel |
| thickness | 1.95 mm |
| diameter | 21.21 mm |
| weight | 5 g |
Obverse:
Great people
Description:
Iron Tail (Native American, chief of the Oglala Lakota)
Creators:
James Earle Fraser (F)
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Animals
Description:
Bison
Creators:
James Earle Fraser (F)
E PLURIBUS UNUM
FIVE CENTS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Despite a high mintage for the time, this issue is scarce across all grades. Gems are rare, due in no small part to the typically average to poor strikes for 1917 D. Like most Denver Mint coins of the late 1910s and '20s, this issue is also subject to myriad die cracks. There was something about the way the Denver Mint readied its dies and planchets for the press that caused them crack with great frequency. Two styles of D mintmark were used for most denominations this year. The coin illustrated has the new punch which debuted in 1917 and remained in use as late as 1934. Collector interest in the transitional D and S mintmarks of 1917 is nearly non-existant, and no study has been published of their relative rarities. The so-called 3-1/2 legged variety is not a true variety at all, but merely a die state.Read More
