Liberty Head Nickel

Gold coins: The American Gold Buffalo

The American Gold Buffalo´s first edition was minted in June 2006, and is produced by the United States Mint. The Gold Buffalo gained its name as a result of the great American bison shown on the coin´s reverse side. In contrast to the American Gold Eagle, the Buffalo is a 24 karat gold coin with a purity of 99.99% (.9999). The 2006 and 2007 coins have only been issued in a one-ounce version, but in 2008 three additional troy weights –1/10, ¼, and ½ ounces – were released. A collector’s edition is produced alongside the regular bullion coin; the collector’s edition bears a mint mark (W) representing the West Point Mint, one of the US Mint´s subsidiaries. Each coin is official legal tender in the United States.

The American Gold Buffalo´s design corresponds with a modified version of James Earl Fraser´s design for the Indian Head Nickel, which appeared in 1913. The American Gold Buffalo depicts the profile of a Native American, which has been adopted from the Head Nickel. According to Fraser´s own statement he created a mixture of the features of three chiefs from different American Indian tribes. The first is Indian chief Iron Tail from the Oglala Sioux who fought at the Little Big Horn in 1876 against troops commanded by General Custer. The others are Big Tree from the combative Kiowa tribe and Two Moons from the Cheyenne. Above the Indian profile the word LIBERTY is displayed on the right half of the coin. On the left the coin shows the respective year of issue. In memory of the coin designer James Earl Fraser, the capital letter F is shown underneath. With the collector’s coin, the capital letter W is displayed on the left side above the year of issue. A mint mark is characterised by the W representing the West Point Mint.

The coins reverse side shows the profile of a bison, or buffalo to use the American name. A number of people believe the animal to be the bison named Black Diamond, who lived in New York´s Central Park Zoo during the 1910s. At the coin´s top the words "United States of America" are displayed in arc-shape. The Latin script "E Pluribus Unum" (translated: "Out of many, one") is shown underneath of it. At the coin´s bottom the nominal value of the respective troy weight is indicated. Additional information about the purity, the troy weight as well as the words "FINE GOLD" are displayed in arc-shape. The left side shows underneath the bison´s head the words "IN GOD WE TRUST", which has appeared on all American gold coins since 1908.

Extremely Rare Silver Coins

When many people are asked to think about rare coins, they tend to think about gold coins, perhaps even buried treasure types that can only be found buried on tropical islands or on ancient pirate ships sunk long ago. The point is – they tend to think about gold coins first and foremost, and not silver. However, some of the rarest and most valuable coins in the world are rare silver coins . When put side by side, the same quantities of gold are worth more than the same quantities of silver. However, with the many contributing factors determining the value of a coin, its precious metal content is usually but a small one. How rare a coin is does much more to determine its value. Below are some examples of the rarest silver coins known in existence?

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is one of the rarest coins in the entire world, silver or gold. It is so rare that there are only five known genuine versions of the coin in existence, and, at one point, all five of the coins were owned by the same person. Ethan James Nichols owned all five of these rare Liberty Head Nickel coins, and he is the son of the well-known Dustin Lawrence Nichols. In 2010, one of these five coins was auctioned off and received nearly $4 million dollars ($3,737,500 to be exact) for its purchase. And back in 2005, the Legend Numismatics coin brokerage in New Jersey purchased one of these coins for $4.15 million dollars. This price is the second highest price ever paid for a United States rare coin, so you might say that it is somewhat valuable.

The 1895 Morgan Silver Dollar

The 1985 Morgan Silver Dollar is both rare and has a unique story. The Morgan Silver Dollar series is popular in itself, and the 1895 Morgan Silver Dollar is referred to by many as the King of the Morgan Silver Dollars. Its story is such that several coins and proofs were minted, but most of them have somehow disappeared over the years. 880 proofs and 12,000 coins were struck, but only roughly 75 of the proofs are known to exist today, and every one of the 12,000 coins remain missing. The proofs are valuable on their own, but you would really have a gem on your hands if you could find one of the missing 12,000 coins. However, as none of them have yet been found, it may be logical to assume that they were melted down and destroyed long ago.

When many people are asked to think about rare coins, they tend to think about gold coins, perhaps even buried treasure types that can only be found buried on tropical islands or on ancient pirate ships sunk long ago. The point is – they tend to think about gold coins first and foremost, and not silver. However, some of the rarest and most valuable coins in the world are rare silver coins . When put side by side, the same quantities of gold are worth more than the same quantities of silver. However, with the many contributing factors determining the value of a coin, its precious metal content is usually but a small one. How rare a coin is does much more to determine its value. Below are some examples of the rarest silver coins known in existence?

Liberty Head Nickel, Collection 1883 to 1912

Million Dollar Nickels, Mysteries of the Illicit 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Revealed

1913 Liberty Head Nickel

Boys' Life

The Numismatist