James Earle Fraser’s Buffalo Nickel design of 1913 has become so popular in the last century that it has earned a spot in the pantheon of great American coin designs. Fraser’s imagery was so uniquely American, it is remembered to this day as one of the nation’s most beloved historic circulation coin designs. Today, the 2016 5 oz SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Round is available from JM Bullion.
Round Highlights:
- Ships in a protective plastic wrap.
- Inspired by the Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938).
- Contains 5 Troy oz of .999 pure silver.
- Obverse includes Fraser’s Native American design.
- Reverse features the American bison.
Fraser was a native of Minnesota who grew up on the American Plains and the Midwest. Despite his humble upbringing, he studied under one of the nation’s most iconic designers and sculptors; Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens himself is responsible for America’s single greatest design ever, so it’s no surprise one of his students created yet another of the nation’s greatest images.
In an early radio interview after the Buffalo Nickel’s design was released, Fraser explained his creation for the nickel simply. “When I was asked to do the nickel, I felt I wanted to something totally American – a coin that could not be mistaken for any other country’s coin,” he said. Fraser hit the mark perfectly.
On the obverse of the 2016 5 oz SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Round is the right-profile portrait of the Native American tribal leader Fraser created in 1913. Just as it appeared on the Buffalo Nickel, the SilverTowne round includes the engraving of the word “Liberty,” along with a year of issue in the same spot as the nickel that reads “2016.”
The reverse of the SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Round features the left-profile image of an American bison. Inspired by Black Diamond, a resident of the Central Park Zoo in New York City during the early 20th century, this bison appears on a small mound of dirt and is surrounded by engravings from the original nickel. These include the nation of issue, weight, purity, and metal content, as well as the phrase “E Pluribus Unum.”
All 2016 5 oz SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Rounds are products of SilverTowne. A private company that rose humble beginnings in 1949 as a small coin shop in rural Indiana, SilverTowne has become one of the largest and most trusted numismatics dealers in the United States.
Please don’t hesitate to contact JM Bullion with any questions. You can reach our customer service team on the phone at 800-276-6508, connect with us online through our live web chat, or simply send us an email.
“This is one exquisite, beautiful coin! What a difference when you hold a 5 0z silver coin vs a 1 oz coin. It just feels so pure and expensive. Hard not to be hooked once you get your hands on one of these gems.
Nice hobby to have”