"Native beauty of the American West" Watch

The popular Indian Head, or Buffalo, five-cent coin (nickel) was introduced in 1913. Designed by James Earle Fraser, a student of legendary sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the Indian Head/Buffalo nickel design showcases the native beauty of the American West. The Native American depiction on the coins obverse is believed to be based on three different American Indians. Two of the American Indians who modelled for Fraser as he sculpted the coin were named by the designer before his death. They were Chief Iron Tail of the Lakota Sioux and Chief Two Moons of the Cheyenne. The third has never been identified.