Gold Buffalos, Proof (PR, PF)

24-KaratCoins

Production the 24-karatcoins were authorized by Public Law 109-145, dated December 22, 2005.

The 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. Coins bear the original Fraser Type I design.

United States Mint Bullion Coins

Gold Bullion Coins are the first .9999 fine 24-karat coins ever struck by the United States Mint and offered for sale through a network of Authorized Purchasers. These $50 coins are available to members of the public seeking a simple and tangible means to own and invest in 24-karatin the form of legal tender coins whose content and purity is guaranteed by the United States Government.

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.

United States Mint Proof Coins

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.


All 24-KaratCoins are struck at the United States Mint at West Point . The 24-KaratBullion Coins are minted and sold in the same manner as American Eagle Bullion Coins .