Gold American Buffalo

In June, 2006, the United States Mint commenced production of America's first 24-karat, pure gold (.9999% fineness) one-ounce coin, the American Buffalo. This beautiful gold coin, nicknamed "The Buffalo," is based upon American sculptor James Earle Fraser's revered Buffalo Nickel of 1913. The Buffalo displays Fraser's classic design of an American Indian on the coin's obverse and the renown American bison on the reverse.

The Native American depiction on the coin's obverse (front) is believed to be based on three different American Indians. Two of the American Indians who modeled for Fraser, once a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, were named by the designer before his death as Chief Iron Tail of the Lakota Sioux and Chief Two Moons of the Cheyenne. The third person has yet to be definitively identified.

It is widely thought that the bison on the coin's reverse (back) was modeled after Black Diamond, a popular attraction at New York's Zoological Gardens.

American Gold Buffalo Coin Minting Information

American Buffalo gold bullion coins are among the world's purest gold coins in terms of the fineness of the metal they contain. Each coin contains its full, stated weight of pure gold. By law, the gold for United States Mint American Buffalo gold bullion coins must originate from newly mined sources in America. The coins are struck at the United States Mint at West Point, New York but do not have a mint mark.

U.S. Government Guarantee of Purity, Weight, and Content

Gold bullion coins from the United States Mint are the only official gold bullion coins whose weight, content and purity are guaranteed by the United States Government. That means gold bullion coins are welcome in major investment markets worldwide, just like the U.S. dollar.