The gold American buffalo, sometimes known simply as the gold buffalo, is a bullion coin produced in the United States that is 24 karat gold. The coin’s design is inspired by that of the Indian Head, which is a nickel. The gold American buffalo is distinct in that it marks the first time the U.S. government has issued a .9999 pure gold coin to the public. This coin has a face value of $50 and has become one of the nation’s most popular coins. These coins are notable for their high gold content and attention to detail.

History of the Gold American Buffalo

Traditionally, American gold coins were produced with purity of.9167 gold. Trace amounts of copper and other metals were added to give the coins greater strength. However, in recent years other mints throughout the world begin producing gold coins with a 99.99% purity that was higher than their American counterparts. This led many investors both within and outside the U.S. to purchase foreign coins due to their higher gold content. The American gold buffalo was introduced in part to compete with these foreign gold coins.

The American gold buffalo is a 24-karat gold coin which is designed to match the purity of bullion coins such as the Canadian Maple Leaf. Investors and enthusiasts had to wait for the uncirculated variant of the buffalo to be offered on the market. Mintages for gold American buffalo are strict and only limited to 10 per household.

Coin Detail and Highlights

Although this coin was first issued by the U.S. Mint in 2006, it is based off a design by James Earle Fraser that was created in 1913. This design is believed by many to be among the greatest the U.S. Mint has ever produced, and features the bust of a Native American on the obverse side, with the word “Liberty” on top.

Fraser stated that the Indian Head bust was taken from the profiles of multiple Indian chiefs from different Native American tribes, who posed for him so that he could sketch images of them. The reverse side of the coin depicts an image of a Buffalo, with the words “United States of America” above it and the coin’s denomination on the bottom.

The American gold buffalo is available in three fractional sizes aside from the 1 oz variant, which are 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, and ½ oz. As with other contemporary American bullion coins, the gold buffalo is struck at West Point Mint, which is located in New York. The proof version of this coin is the only edition which will showcase the “W” mintmark on the obverse side.  The bullion variant will not contain this mintmark. Mintages of this coin will be limited to approximately 300,000.

Beware of Cheap Replicas

There are also cheap replicas of this coin being sold on the market, but these coins are merely gold plated and do not contain the diameter of coins from the U.S. Mint. These replicas are not produced by the U.S. mint and are not considered legal tender, and are instead produced by a private firm.