Buffalo nickel? NEVER EXISTED!!!

Why do we continue to perpertuate this misinformation? It is a bison, not a buffalo. Would we be as accepting if we called the eagle a hawk on the Peace dollar? They haven't been in circulation for almost 100 years, so would it not make sense that numismatists would be the ones to correct this mistake?

Also, why don't we first ("normally"/instinctively) mention the Native American "Indian" on the coin?

Talk amongst yourselves. Lol.

 

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It's kind of like the Indian Head Cent. It's not an Indian Head, it's a Liberty head with Indian headdress.
Also see Mercury Fine, which isn't Mercury but liberty with a winged cap.
I guess some things just happen and everybody ends up accepting it, wrong as it may be

 

It may be incorrect technically, but I still like calling them buffalo nickels, just seems right. We don't have pennies either, but I'm pretty sure that the names staying around anyway.

 

"Bison nickel" just sounds wrong ;-)

How about "Bovidae 5-cent piece"?

And since you pointed out the two different main types of bison, the American version technically being "Bison bison", I think we should call them "Bison bison nickel nickels".

 

How bout no, and aww hell naw!

 

Buff/Bison? Does this mean that we're giving up on the proper usage of the penny/cent question?

Chris

 

I can sympathize with the plight of the bison (well, this particular one anyway) as my own name is used to describe A) people who frequent red light districts and B) a toilet.

 

Oh, no. That one will rage on for at least a generation after they are out of circulation.

 

Pretty sure It arrives from their genus affiliation.
Call it what you will!

 

The usage of the term "Buffalo" for this beast dates to the early 1600's in America, while the term "Bison" was not first applied until 150 years later.

 

Tomato's To-mah-toes!

Nobody really cares how "technically" accurate a name might be just as long as everybody agree's on what they're talking about.

 

Liberty nickels Vs. V nickels I've always called them V nickels it's what my father called them....thus depending on your background , and origin this perhaps is the reasons a certain item is referred to different then what you believe it to be.
Example on the east coast when you buy your groceries they are placed in a bag. Midwest they are in a sack!
East coast you drink soda Midwest it's pop.
Getting back to the question at hand the buffalo nickel was the first U.S. that actually used a native American as the model for the effigy . Most others the IHC as well as some gold coins were thought to be modeled after Longacre daughter . So truly not 100% Native American were used to depict the coin.
But once again I believe it's truly the demographics that you hail from as to what terms that you use to describe something .
Heck as a kid my great Uncle Stanley never called a car a car.....it was always called the machine. He was from a rural area here most probably born in the late 1800's earl 1900's. Plus education was most probably grade school at that.... so we all are the products of the means.

 

The commercial building I work at has new tenants.. they are a company from England. They call the Elevator a Lift.

Why did I post this? I don't know why

Instead of see you later they say Cheers!

 

So "Buffalo Bill" should be called "Bison Bill"?

 

I never knew that those two things could be referred to as "Lunchboxes" ;-)

 

I'm visiting family in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Maybe 99% of the tourists driving through the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Park which houses nearly 1,500 bison will call out "Hey, there's a buffalo!"

Each fall the staff in the Park advertise and conduct "The Buffalo Roundup" when the entire herd is coralled, sorted, culled, etc.

@Garlicus: your question about the acceptability of calling an eagle a hawk is specious because people don't call an eagle a hawk in common parlance. People DO call bison "buffalo."

Steve

 

Tell that to Bella Pratt.

 

I totally agree with this answer.

Anyway, the poll is 100% for "Buffalo", why to talk again?

petronius

 

Since they were 75% copper, would it not make sense to call them "coppers"? Besides, Bison Bill Cody doesn't sound right...