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Proof Gold Buffalo Coins
The American Gold Buffalo coin series is the only 24-karat gold coin the US Mint has to offer. While the American Gold Eagle is also a heavy hitter, it is considered only 22-karats because of the copper/silver alloy used to make its surface more durable. Due to the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, the US Mint was mandated to produce a 24-karat gold coin that carries the legal tender value of $50 and has a mintage limit up to 300,000 coins. The American Gold Buffalo was first released on July 13, 2006 and avid collectors have never looked back. The American Gold Buffalo collection still stands as the only pure gold coin produced in the US.
Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof American Gold Buffalos
Both the bullion and proof versions, of the American Gold Buffalo, are produced at the West Point Mint, based in New York, but only the Proof American Gold Buffalo carries the "W" mint-mark on its reverse. Although the bullion and proof gold coins carry the same design, the packaging for both is quite different. While the brilliant uncirculated Buffalos are sealed in plastic, the Proof American Gold Eagle's packaging is more aesthetically pleasing. The coin itself is encased in an appropriately fitted capsule then placed into a velvet presentation box with its Certificate of Authenticity. The presentation box is then protected by an official US Mint cardboard box.
Design Inspiration for the American Gold Buffalo
Black Diamond is the American Bison used as a model for the 1913 Buffalo Nickel design. It has been recorded that James Earle Fraser needed to constantly distract the beast, while drawing its portrait, to contain the side profile view, due to the bison wanting to constantly look forward. When looking at the American Gold Buffalo coins, collectors will find them familiar since their design comes from the 1913 Buffalo Nickel. Fraser was a student of another gold coin legacy designer, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. James Earle Fraser was born in Minnesota and experienced life first-hand with the Native Americans and the struggle of being pushed into confined reservations. James Earle Fraser is best known for his Buffalo Nickel design and his End of the Trail sculpture, depicting the physical, sociological, and emotional exhaustion the Native Americans endured as settlers took over their land.
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