Gold American Buffalo Coins

Gold American Buffalos at Silver.com

The Gold American Eagle is the official gold bullion coin of the United States. That hasn’t stopped the US Mint from creating other gold bullion coins. Their other gold coin program is the Gold American Buffalo, which features an iconic coin design that is still used by private mints to this day. Learn more about these Gold American Buffalos right here, at Silver.com.

Background on the Gold American Buffalos

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 authorized the creation of the presidential dollar coin series, the first spouse coin program, and these Gold American Buffalos. The Act called for a 1 oz 24-karat gold bullion coin with a face value of $50, and a mintage of at least 300,000.

The series debuted in 2006 and has been issued annually ever since. The release of this coin program was the first time the US Mint issued coins with a purity of at least .9999 fine gold.

All coins are struck at the West Point Mint and are issued in just a 1 oz weight, unlike the Gold American Eagle Series which releases coins in a multitude of fractional ounce weight as well.

Design

While the coin program debuted in 2006, the design can be traced back to 1913. These designs are modified versions of the original Buffalo Nickel designs that were created by James Earle Fraser in 1913.

• Obverse: A Native American male in right-profile relief. The design uses the likeness of three historical figures. Inscriptions on the obverse read “Liberty,” the year of issue, and an “F” for James Earle Fraser.
• Reverse: A North American bison in left-profile relief standing on a dirt mound. Identifying marks of the coin, such as the nation of issue, metal content, purity, face value, and more inscriptions surround the design.

Other strikes of the Gold American Buffalos

Other strikes of these coins have been produced, along with the BU versions. Proof strikes of these coins debuted in 2006, along with the BU version. Proof coins have been issued annually ever since.

For the 100th anniversary of the original design, the US Mint released reverse proof strikes of these coins in 2013. These coins had a total mintage of 47,836.

In 2008, for one year only, three fractional ounce weights (1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz) were made available in both proof and burnished strikes. However, these coins were primarily sold as four-coin sets along with the 1 oz version.

Packaging

BU Gold American Buffalos are individually shipped in protective plastic flips. For larger orders, tubes of 20 coins are also available.

Proof strikes are made available in a presentation box, alongside a Certificate of Authenticity. The reverse proof strike was also made available with this packaging.

When browsing our selection of Gold American Buffalos, you’ll also find certified coins, as well as MintID coins. Certified coins are gold coins that are graded and encapsulated by a coin-grading professional. Whereas MintID coins feature an encrypted microchip for secure authentication.

Buying Gold American Buffalos at Silver.com

Questions about these Gold American Buffalos? Contact the Silver.com customer service team at 1-888-989-7223. Our team can also be reached via email or through our online chat feature as well.