Description
America's First Citizens
"Native Americans have appeared on only a few American coins. The two most popular are the "Indian Head" penny, minted from 1859 through 1909, and the "Buffalo" nickel, minted from 1913 through 1938.
The Indian princess on the penny was modeled after designer James Longacre's daughter. The nickel's Indian was inspired by three Native Americans - Chief John Big Tree, Two Moons and Iron Tail. A living symbol of America, the bison on the coin's reverse was patterned after "Black Diamond," which lived in the New York Zoological Gardens."
