1913 Type 2

The Type 2 Buffalo nickel was Charles Barber's modification of James Earle Fraser's original design, produced after Mint officials recognized that the Type 1 reverse was wearing prematurely in circulation. The original raised-mound configuration placed FIVE CENTS on the highest relief area of the reverse, meaning the denomination was the first detail to wear down as coins passed through daily commerce. Barber's solution was to recess the ground beneath the bison and place FIVE CENTS in the lowered area, protecting it from wear.

Philadelphia struck 29,858,700 Buffalo nickels with the Type 2 reverse, a substantial production that documents how quickly the Mint switched over once the modification was approved. The transition happened in mid-1913, creating the two distinct sub-types that define the first year of Buffalo nickel collecting. Type collectors building complete Buffalo nickel sets need both Type 1 and Type 2 examples to represent the original and modified reverse configurations.

The Type 2 modification worked as intended. Subsequent Buffalo nickels showed better wear resistance on the denomination, though the overall design would continue to suffer from premature obverse date wear that eventually became the series' most persistent collecting challenge. The 1913 Type 2 Philadelphia is common in all grades and readily available in Mint State, though high-grade examples with strong strike characteristics require searching.