The American Gold Buffalo

Coin Highlights:

• Coins arrive inside protective flips or plastic tubes of 20 coins!
• 17th year of availability in the 1 oz American Gold Buffalo Series!
• Contains 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure gold in BU condition.
• Issued a face value of $50 (USD) by the United States.
• Stoic indigenous leader on the obverse.
• American bison on the reverse.

From 1794 when the first US gold coins were issued to 1834, the United States Mint released gold coins with 22-karat gold content. Starting in 1834, the US Mint adjusted the gold content of its coins downward to better align with the values of the coins. The mint first lowered the gold content to just over 89% gold per coin.

In 1837, the gold content of American circulation coins was pegged at 90% gold with most coins featuring 10% copper as the balance in the metallic alloy. In 1986, the introduction of the American Gold Eagle gave the United States its purest gold coin since 1834. In 2006, the introduction of the Gold Buffalo gave the US Mint its purest gold in history to date.

A stoic indigenous figure is found in the obverse design of the 2022 1 oz American Gold Buffalo. This right-profile relief was designed in 1913 by James Earle Fraser and is largely believed to be a combination of the physical characteristics of three real-world indigenous tribal elders.

The American bison is the focus of the reverse design of 2022 American Gold Buffalo Coins. This left-profile image of an American bison standing on a mound of dirt captures the size and power of the mighty buffalo. Black Diamond, a resident bison at the Central Park Zoo in New York City, was the inspiration for Fraser’s reverse design. Both the obverse and reverse designs from the Gold Buffalo originated on the Buffalo Nickel in 1913.