The American Gold Buffalo pays homage to one of the most iconic coins in American history. First minted in 2006, the American Gold Buffalo was the first 1 oz Gold coin struck by the United States Mint containing .9999 fine Gold. The coin was created to compete with other pure Gold bullion coins on the market like the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf and the Mexican Gold Libertad, and saw immediate success. All American Gold Buffalos contain 1 oz of .9999 fine Gold; however, fractional sizes of this Gold bullion coin were minted in 2008 and this one year of production makes them highly collectible.

The design of this Gold bullion coin is based on James Earle Fraser’s iconic and wildly popular 1913 Buffalo Nickel. The obverse of the coin depicts the profile of a Native American man who was modeled after three different chiefs from Native American tribes: Lakota chief Iron Tail, Cheyenne chief Two Moons and Seneca chief John Big Tree. The reverse of the coin features the classic buffalo designed after Black Diamond, a 1,550-pound bison that lived in New York City’s Central Park Zoo in the early 1900s.

American Gold Buffalos are struck at the West Point Mint in New York. Known as the “Fort Knox of Silver”, the West Point Mint produces all American Eagle coins in Gold, Silver and Platinum as well as all Gold and some Silver commemorative coins.