The United States Mint is pleased to introduce its new line of 24-karat gold coins.
Production of these highly anticipated coins is authorized by
Public Law 109-145,
dated December 22, 2005, also known as the Presidential $1 Coin Act.
The new American Buffalo Gold coin’s obverse and reverse designs feature images originally
prepared by noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, once a student of Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, for America’s 5-cent coin (nickel).
That popular coin, known as the Indian Head, or Buffalo, nickel was
introduced in 1913
and showcases the native beauty of the American West.
The Native American depiction on the coins obverse is believed to be based on three different
American Indians. Two of the American Indians who modeled for Fraser as he sculpted the coin
were named by the designer before his death. They were known as Chief Iron Tail of the Lakota
Sioux and Chief Two Moons of the Cheyenne. Although many have claimed to have had a sitting
with Fraser for this design, he could not recall the name of the third person and satisfactory
documentation has not yet been found to identify that individual. It is widely believed that
the bison on the coins reverse was modeled after Black Diamond, a popular attraction at the New
York Zoological Gardens.
In the first year of the coin’s issuance, 1913, there were two distinct varieties, the first
showing the bison on a mound and the second with the base redesigned to a thinner, straight line.
American Buffalo Gold Coins bear the original Fraser Type I design.
American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins are the first .9999
fine 24-karat gold coins ever struck by
the United States Mint and offered for sale through a network of Authorized Purchasers. These
$50 gold coins are available to members of the public seeking a simple and tangible means
to own and invest in 24-karat gold in the form of legal tender coins whose content and purity
is guaranteed by the United States Government.
American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins are available at many coin and precious metals dealers
as well as many brokerage houses and participating banks. Pricing for precious metal investment
coins typically depends on the market price of the metal. Click
here
to locate a dealer.
The United States Mint produces a proof version of these coins for collectors. The term
"proof" refers to a specialized minting process that begins by manually feeding burnished
coin blanks into presses fitted with special dies. Each coin is struck multiple times so the softly
frosted and highly detailed images seem to float above the field.
An official Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each coin. American Buffalo Gold Proof Coins sell at a fixed price and can be purchased directly from the United States Mint.
All 24-Karat American Buffalo Gold Coins are struck at the
United States Mint at West Point
. The 24-Karat American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins are minted and sold in the same manner as
American Eagle Bullion Coins
.
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