Buffalo With An F?

John E. Fraser designed the nickel, his initial (F) is found under the date.

Most of the Buffalos received so much wear during their lives the F is LONG gone! It's cool when one has soem of its original markings! (Obviously we all know the mint marks were on the reverse bottom of these coins.)

Actually, the "F" monogram will show up even on most well worn Buffalo nickels. Unlike most of the other details on the nickel, the "F" does not start out as a RAISED feature. Instead, it is punched into the nickel so that it is actually below the level of the surrounding field. The "F" on well worn nickels always appears to be black, the result of dirt, debris and oils building up inside of the "F". Sometimes the field containing the "F" will wear away to such an extent that the lower portion of the vertical stem will begin to wear away, but the two horizontal bars almost always survive, even if they are somewhat diminished.