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1913 Buffalo 5C. Type 1 NGC Proof 66

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:10.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1913 Buffalo 5C. Type 1 NGC Proof 66
From center to periphery the luminous nickel luster glows. What one sees usually on this mint's coinage is a very convincing impression left by the recoil of the dies; greatly to our pleasure and the bidders' enjoyment, and confirming this observation, that is exactly the case here. This coin is sharp, very sharp, for a desirable Type 1 (buffalo on mound) Proof.

Proof coins of the Indian head/buffalo nickel type were struck for sale to collectors from 1913 through 1916 and again in 1936 and 1937. The Proof five-cent pieces of 1913-16 are normally referred to as "matte" Proofs, but this term is misleading. True matte Proofs have a dullish finish completely dissimilar to the surfaces of normal circulation strikes, and this technique of Proofing was used by the Mint exclusively for its gold coinage of 1908 and 1911-15, as well as for isolated issues of later years that were not sold publicly (commemorative half dollars).

The Proof nickels of 1913-16, like the cents of those years, actually possess a satin finish. This varies in texture slightly from one date to the next and even within a single year's coinage. When found pristine, these coins are extremely beautiful and visibly distinctive from currency strikes.