Weight: 31.108 g (1.0001 ozt)
Diameter: 32.7 mm (1.287 in)
Thickness: 2.95 mm (0.116 in)
Edge: Reeded
Composition: 99.99% (24K) Gold
Face Value: $50
Mint: US Mint at West Point
Released: June 22, 2006
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American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins are the first .9999 fine 24-karat gold coins
ever struck by the United States Mint. Production of these coins is authorized by
Public Law 109-145, dated December 22, 2005, also known as the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005.
The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 mandated the production of the American
Buffalo Gold Coin. Both the American Buffalo Gold Bullion and Proof Coins portray
the images of the revered Buffalo Nickel of 1913, Type 1.
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.
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