Sunday, March 1, 2009

American Buffalo Gold Coin


The American Buffalo Gold Coin is a 24 Karat gold bullion coin made by the United States Mint. The Mint began production in 2006. The metallic composition is 99.99% gold. The coin comes in four troy ounce sizes: 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz. The four types of coins have the same design but are denominated $5 (.1 oz), $10 (.25 oz), $25(.5 oz) and $50 (1 oz).

The obverse ("heads") side of the American Buffalo Gold Coin shows the profile of a Native American male. The obverse is a rendition of the 1913 Buffalo nickel designed by James Earle Fraser. The mint date of the gold coin is on the obverse size. The word "LIBERTY" appears in an arc on the upper right edge.

The reverse ("tails") side shows the profile of an American Bison, or Buffalo, standing on a mound. The denomination of the gold coin is seen in the mound area for example, "$50", for the 1 ounce coin. "FIVE CENTS" has been changed to read "$50 1 OZ. .9999 FINE GOLD". Also, the official national motto of the United States of America, "IN GOD WE TRUST", appearing on all U.S. gold coins since 1908, can be seen on the reverse to the left of and beneath the buffalo's head. The words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" is in an arc across the top of the reverse side. "E PLURIBUS UNUM" - (Latin for "Out of Many, One") another of the nations mottos that appears on the Great Seal of the United States is in small lettering at the upper right.

Here are a few interesting facts about the American Gold Buffalo coin. By law the gold used to make the coins must be mined in America. All American Buffalo Gold Coins are struck at the United States Mint at West Point. The Native American on the coin's obverse is believed to be based on three different Indian chiefs who modeled for Fraser as he sculpted its design. It is also believed that the bison was modeled after "Black Diamond" a resident of the New York Zoological Gardens.





Face Value$5$10$25$50
Gold Weight (Troy)0.100.250.501.00
Gold Weight (Grams)3.1107.77615.55231.104
Diameter (mm)16.0021.5026.0032.70