1913 Buffalo Nickel
Type 2
From a mintage of 1,514 pieces, survivors of which are the rarest Proof Buffalo nickels after only those from the 1916 issue. Obviously most contemporary collectors acquired a Type I example for their first year Proof Buffalo nickel acquisition, their disenchantment with the satin finish of these coins further explaining why comparatively few examples of the Type II issue were preserved. The Lange reference on the series notes: "It's almost a certainty that many of the Proofs struck remained unsold at the end of the year and were melted."
The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the January 2011 Tampa Bay Auction, where it realized $9,200.