This exceptional buckle is modeled after the original buffalo nickel, which was designed by James Earle Fraser, and first released in 1913. The obverse of the coin features the profile of a Native American, which is actually three different men.  The word "LIBERTY" is along the upper right edge of the coin, and the date is in the lower left quadrant, below the neck.

Three Native American Chiefs modeled for Fraser sometime in the early 1900s, they were Chief Iron Tail, Chief Big Tree, and Chief Two Moons. All three men at the time were performers in Wild West Shows in New York City.