2017 5 oz SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Round (New)

James Earle Fraser is a native of Winona, Minnesota, and he was a student of the famed artist and engraver Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the man who designed what is arguably the single-greatest coin design in American history. In the early 20th century the federal government and US Mint sought to overhaul the 19th century designs on all American coins. James Earle Fraser was one of several American artists chosen to help the government in its pursuit of modern designs.

Fraser’s Buffalo Nickel was introduced in 1913 and available in circulation through 1938. His design for the nation’s five-cent piece included a depiction of a buffalo, inspired by Black Diamond. The bison was a resident of New York City’s Central Park Zoo at the time. His right-profile image of a Native American chieftain was inspired by a combination of facial features from chieftains alive at the time.

On the obverse of the 2017 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 “2017.”