Washington — The United States Mint today announced that the American Buffalo Gold Proof Coin, the first pure gold coin issued by the United States Government for sale to the public, will be available June 22, 2006, beginning at noon (ET).
The United States Mint will produce a $50 face value legal tender coin containing one ounce of 24 — karat (.9999) gold. It will bear the W mint mark of the United States Mint at West Point, New York.
The coin design is based on the original 1913, Type I Buffalo nickel, by James Earle Fraser. On the obverse is a Native American profile, and the reverse features an American Buffalo, or bison.
On the obverse are the inscriptions “Liberty,” “2006,” the initial “F” for Fraser, and the “W” mint mark. The reverse will carry the inscriptions “$50” and “1 oz. .9999 Fine Gold” incused on the grassy mound beneath the buffalo, “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and “In God We Trust.”
Priced at $800.00, with a mintage limit of up to 300,000 coins, the American Buffalo Gold Proof Coin will be encapsulated in plastic to protect its pristine, proof finish. It is packaged in a blue United States Mint gift box and accompanied by a custom–designed Certificate of Authenticity. Orders will be limited to 10 per order and household. The United States Mint may change these limits at any time.
To order the American Buffalo Gold Proof Coin online, visit the United States Mint’s secure website at www.usmint.gov. To order by telephone, call 1–800–USA–MINT (872–6468). Hearing– and speech–impaired customers with TTY equipment may order by calling 1–888–321–MINT (6468).
The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, which authorized the production of the proof coin, also requires the United States Mint to produce a bullion version of the American Buffalo Gold Coin. It will be available through the same network of dealers that currently sell the American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins to the public.