American Gold Buffalo Coins

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The American Gold Buffalo is the purest annual gold coin released by the United States Mint. Featuring a purity of 99.99% and a set of stunning, iconic designs, the Gold Buffalo has become one of the world’s best-selling 24-karat gold bullion coins.

Following the success of the 91.67% pure American Gold Eagle, the U.S. Mint released the American Gold Buffalo in 2006. Today, it remains the most popular option for investors who want to purchase 99.99% pure gold from the historic United States Mint.

Hero Bullion is a leading online dealer of American Gold Buffalo Coins. Shop all American Gold Buffalo Coins online with Hero Bullion to take advantage of industry-leading pricing, fast shipping, free shipping on qualifying orders, and more.

About the American Gold Buffalo

Unlike the 91.67% pure American Gold Eagle, the Gold Buffalo is minted with 99.99% pure gold bullion. The coin’s designs take inspiration from the Buffalo nickel, one of the most iconic American coins.

On the obverse, the coin features James Earle Fraser’s timeless depiction of a Native American leader. The reverse side is where the Gold Buffalo gets its name. There, investors will find a stunning image of an American bison.

The gold coin’s purity, designs, and recognizability are just a few reasons why the American Gold Buffalo has become one of the world’s most sought-after gold coins. Given its purity, the Gold Buffalo is an excellent alternative to the Gold Eagle for investors who want a coin that’s a bit closer to being fully pure.

The United States Mint

The U.S. Mint is in charge of producing coins for the United States government. After America’s entry into the bullion coin market with the Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle in 1986, the United States Mint became an increasingly important global producer of investment-grade bullion coins.

Today, the American Gold Buffalo is one of the most popular gold coins produced by the United States Mint. Its purity makes it a great alternative to the more impure Gold Eagle, and the coin’s designs take inspiration from one of the U.S. Mint’s most popular circulating coins, the Buffalo nickel.

Gold Buffalo Coin History and Details

The Gold Buffalo Coin was authorized under the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 and first minted in 2006. Under the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, the U.S. Mint was responsible for producing the presidential dollar dollar coin series, a redesign for the U.S. cent, and a 24-karat gold coin for investors.

To meet the requirements set by this legislation, the U.S. Mint created the first Gold Buffalo Coin. The 99.99% fine gold coin was (and still is) the purest gold coin produced by the United States Mint. Drawing on historic designs from one of the most recognizable coins in the history of the United States, the Gold Buffalo quickly became a favorite for investors around the world.

Prior to the Gold Buffalo, the United States did not have a 99.99% pure gold coin to release annually. This meant that investors who wanted a coin purer than 91.67% were turning to competing coins with a higher purity, such as the Canadian Gold Maple.

Filling an important market gap, the Gold Buffalo became a major competitor to foreign coins like the Gold Britannia and the Gold Maple.

Gold Buffalo Details and Specifications

A limited number of Gold Buffalos are minted annually, especially compared to the other major U.S. gold bullion coin, the American Gold Eagle. Approximately 144,500 Gold Buffalo Coins were minted in 2024, a decrease from the 387,000 Gold Buffalos produced a year earlier in 2023.

The American Gold Buffalo features designs taken from one of the most popular and recognizable coins in U.S. history: the Buffalo nickel.

On the obverse, investors will find James Earle Fraser’s stunning portrait of a Native American leader. The portrait is a composite of Iron Tail and Two Moons and initially appeared on the Buffalo nickel in 1913.

Flipping the coin over, the reverse side of the Gold Buffalo features an American bison standing on a rocky plain. James Earle Fraser designed this artwork for the Buffalo nickel in 1913, and it was minimally altered to fit the new 99.99% pure U.S. gold bullion coin.

Gold Buffalo Weight Availability

Unlike the American Gold Eagle, the Gold Buffalo is only minted as a 1 troy ounce coin. This makes the Gold Buffalo a poor choice for investors working with small budgets, but it remains a premier choice for fans of American gold who appreciate its heightened purity compared to other U.S. coins.

The U.S. Mint experimented with producing fractional Gold Buffalos in 2008, when it released burnished and proof Gold Buffalos as fractional coins. Available in 1/10, ¼, and ½ oz weights, these coins were popular on the secondary market. However, 2008 was the only year that saw the release of fractional weight Gold Buffalo coins.

Proof and Reverse American Gold Buffalos

The American Gold Buffalo is also minted as a proof coin. Proof Gold Buffalos tend to carry an added premium on the secondary market, due to their collectability and limited mintages. In 2024, only 10,075 Proof American Gold Buffalos were minted, compared to over 144,000 standard strike Gold Buffalos in the same year.

Although there technically is a reverse proof version of the American Gold Buffalo, it was only released in 2013. It is unclear whether the U.S. Mint will produce another Reverse Proof American Gold Buffalo.

Shop American Gold Buffalo Coins Online | Hero Bullion

Hero Bullion is a major online dealer of American Gold Buffalos. Our inventory of American Gold Buffalo coins makes it easy for investors to put their money into one of the world’s most popular 24-karat gold bullion coins.

Take advantage of industry-leading prices, quick shipping, and free shipping on qualifying orders when you shop Gold Buffalos online with Hero Bullion!