The Gold American Buffalo coin, or Gold Buffalo, was first released by the United States Mint in 2006. The design of the coin was inspired by the American Indian Head Nickel, which features the portrait of an Indian Chief on one side and an American Bison or Buffalo on the reverse. The Buffalo Gold coin is the only 9999 fine gold coin sold by the United States MInt. Although the gold Buffalo series is less know outside of North America, it is a beautifully designed coin backed by the United States government, and is an excellent option for precious metals investors looking to buy gold coins.
A History of the American Buffalo Gold Coin
Although it was released as a gold coin in 2006, the design of the American Buffalo Gold Coin is based off of the design of the American Indian Head Nickel, which was in circulation in the United States from 1913 until 1938.
The American Buffalo gold coin features an image of an Indian Tribe Chief on the front. The image is a composite of 3 famous chiefs who agreed to pose for the design of the coin - Iron Tail, Two Moons and Big Tree.
The reverse of the coin features an image of an American Bison, or Buffalo. It is rumored that the image of the Bison is based on one that lived in the Central Park Zoo around 1910.
About the American Buffalo Gold Coin
On the front of the coin featuring an Indian Chief Portrait, the word 'Liberty' is written to the right, and the year of minting is located at the bottom of the coin.
On the reverse of the coin above the Bison's back are the words "United States of America", and "E Pluribus Unum". Below the Bison's face is inscribed "In God We Trust". The coin's face value, weight, purity and metal type are all located at the bottom of the coin.
The American Bison Gold coin was released in fractional sizes in the year 2008 only, however, these were not issued on a large scaler and are not readily available in the precious metals market. Generally, the Buffalo Gold Coin is available in the 1 Ounce size only, and the coin is only available in gold from the United States Mint. This is the only 999.9 fine gold coin currently in production by the United States Mint.
The US Mint also Manufacture the American Eagle series of coins, which are available in gold, silver and platinum.
While the American Buffalo gold coin is considered an investment gold coin and not a numismatic coin, proof versions of the coin have been released by the US Mint which trade at a significantly higher premium over the standard gold Buffalo.The American Buffalo gold coin trades at a slightly higher price over the spot price to the American Eagle gold coin - this is because the Buffalo is 999.9 fine and the Eagle has a purity of 999 fine.
The 1 Oz gold Buffalo has a legal tender face value of $50 USD, which means that the United States government guarantees each gold Buffalo to that value.
Annual minting of the 1 Oz Gold Buffalo Coin varies, but is normally between 100,000 and 250,000 per annum.
