American Gold Buffalo coins were introduced by the United States Mint in 2006 and marked a momentous occasion. For the first time in the history of the mint, an American coin was struck using .9999 pure gold. No previous circulation gold coin had ever been issued with 24-karat gold. Though other 24-karat gold coins have since been issued by the US Mint, the Gold Buffalo is the only one produced each year in a bullion option.

Although referred to as gold “Buffalos”, the coin actually gains its name from the American Bison featured on the reverse of the coin. American Bison are so often labeled as Buffalo in the US and Canada that “Buffalo” has widely become the accepted term for these majestic North American creatures.

The obverse of the American Gold Buffalo coin depicts the image inspired by James Earle Fraser’s Buffalo nickel design. A stoic Native American man gazes to the right, showcasing his braids and feathered headdress. Three tribal chiefs, each from a different tribe, posed for Fraser, who drew inspiration from all of their features. The reverse of the coin features an American Bison, standing on a grassy plain. This Bison etching was inspired by an actual 1,550 pound Bison who lived in the Central Park Zoo during the 1910s.

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