GoldInvestingWhat an American Gold Buffalo Is Worth, and Where It Came From
The American Gold Buffalo is a one-ounce, 99.99% pure gold U.S. Mint coin with a $50 face value. What it's worth, specs, Fraser's 1913 design and IRA status.
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An American Gold Buffalo is worth its one troy ounce of pure gold, today’s spot price at today's spot price, plus a premium when you buy. It's the U.S. Mint's 24-karat (99.99% pure) bullion coin: 31.103 grams, 32.70 mm across, $50 face value. The Mint launched it in 2006 with James Earle Fraser's designs from the 1913 Buffalo nickel.
The American Gold Buffalo's specs
These come from the U.S. Mint's bullion program page, its West Point facility page and 31 U.S.C. 5112, the federal statute that created the coin.
| Spec | Figure |
|---|---|
| Size | 1 oz (the U.S. Mint's bullion page lists this size only) |
| Gross weight | 31.103 g (1.000 troy oz) |
| Gold content | 1 troy oz |
| Fineness | 99.99% gold (.9999, 24 karat) |
| Diameter | 32.70 mm (1.287 in) |
| Thickness | Not listed on the U.S. Mint's bullion specifications |
| Face value | $50 |
| Mint | United States Mint at West Point, New York |
| First year | 2006 |
| Obverse | Fraser's portrait from the "Indian Head" nickel. Inscriptions: LIBERTY, year |
| Reverse | Fraser's buffalo from the same nickel, with the weight and denomination on the "grassy mound." Inscriptions: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, 1 OZ. .9999 FINE GOLD, $50 |
The U.S. Mint calls it the first .9999 fine, 24-karat gold coin it ever struck. Being almost pure gold, the Buffalo's weight and gold content are the same: one troy ounce. The Mint's other gold bullion coin, the American Gold Eagle, is 22 karat and weighs 33.931 grams to hold that same ounce. They share the 32.70 mm diameter and the $50 face value.
Federal law adds two details you won't find on most coins. The weight and denomination are incused on the part of the reverse known as the "grassy mound." And the gold has to come from natural deposits mined in the United States or its territories, bought within one year after the month the ore was mined.
The Gold Buffalo's design started on a nickel
A nickel. The U.S. Mint says the coin's obverse and reverse "feature images by noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, once a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, for America's five-cent coin."
Fraser's designs first showed up on the five-cent piece introduced in 1913, known as the "Indian Head" or "Buffalo Nickel." The Mint says they ran for 25 years and then disappeared until 2001, when they came back on the American Buffalo Commemorative Coin.
The gold coin follows the 1913 Type I nickel specifically. The statute that authorized it says its first-year designs must be "the original designs by James Earle Fraser" from the coin "commonly referred to as the 'Buffalo nickel' or the '1913 Type 1.'"
There's a nice link here. Fraser studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens, whose 1907 Double Eagle design is on the obverse of the American Gold Eagle, so the Mint's two gold bullion coins carry the work of a teacher and his student.
What is an American Gold Buffalo worth?
Its gold at the spot price, give or take the dealer's margin. That's exactly one troy ounce, today’s spot price today; the gold price page tracks it live.
You won't buy a bullion Buffalo from the Mint. It sells them through authorized purchasers, who resell to dealers and other buyers, and the Mint says bullion pricing "typically depends on the market price of the metal, plus a small premium to cover minting, distribution, and marketing costs." Each seller then sets its own retail premium. Say you're pricing five Buffalos from three dealers: we'd put each quote through the premium calculator and compare the total per ounce of gold.
The $50 face value is a legal tender figure only. The Mint calls the face value of its bullion coins "largely symbolic."
Price over spotSee what a dealer is really charging above the gold price. Is the American Gold Buffalo IRA eligible?
It meets the fineness test in the federal IRA rule, though not by name. Internal Revenue Code section 408(m) treats an IRA's purchase of a collectible, coins included, as a distribution. Section 408(m)(3) excludes two groups:
- Coins named in the statute. For gold, those are the coins in 31 U.S.C. 5112(a)(7) to (10), the four American Gold Eagle sizes. The Buffalo is described in a different paragraph, 5112(a)(11), so it isn't in this group.
- Bullion at futures-exchange fineness: gold "of a fineness equal to or exceeding the minimum fineness" required for delivery on a regulated futures contract, held by the IRA trustee. CME Group's COMEX gold contract requires "a minimum of 995 fineness."
At 99.99%, the Buffalo clears 995. The gold IRA coin checker tests any coin, and the gold IRA guide explains the accounts.
IRA coin checkerDoes a coin or bar meet the IRS rules for an IRA? The Buffalo beside other gold coins
| Coin | Fineness | Gross weight | Diameter | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Buffalo | 99.99% | 31.103 g | 32.70 mm | 1 oz |
| American Gold Eagle | 91.67% | 33.931 g | 32.70 mm | 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/10 oz |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf | 99.99% | 31.11 g | 30 mm | 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/10, 1/20 oz |
The gold is the same in each one-ounce coin. Alloy, issuer, design and range of sizes are what change. The gold coins guide adds the Krugerrand to the comparison, and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf guide covers the Buffalo's closest 24-karat cousin.
Where to buy Gold Buffalo coins
Bullion Buffalos reach you through the Mint's authorized purchasers and the dealers they supply; the Mint's advice is to find "a local or national coin and precious metal dealer that fits your needs." Proof Buffalos are on the U.S. Mint's own website. Before paying, we'd compare the total price per ounce, the shipping and what the dealer pays you back. How to buy gold and gold dealers go further, and how to spot fake gold covers checking a coin.
What Gold Buffalo buyers ask
How much is an American Gold Buffalo worth?
It holds one troy ounce of gold, worth today’s spot price at today's spot price. Dealers sell it for that plus a premium and buy it back at a price tied to spot.
Is the American Gold Buffalo pure gold?
Yes. It's .9999 fine, 24-karat gold, and the U.S. Mint calls it the first coin of that purity it ever struck.
Who designed the Gold Buffalo coin?
James Earle Fraser, for the 1913 Buffalo nickel. The gold coin reuses his Type I designs on both sides.
When did the U.S. Mint start making the Gold Buffalo?
2006, when it launched the American Buffalo coin program.
Where is the American Gold Buffalo minted?
At the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York, which the Mint lists as the facility that strikes American Buffalo gold bullion coins.
Gold Buffalo vs Gold Eagle: what's the difference?
The Buffalo is 99.99% gold and weighs 31.103 grams. The Eagle is 22 karat (91.67% gold) and weighs 33.931 grams. Each one-ounce coin holds one troy ounce of gold and has a $50 face value.
Sources and fact-check8 primary sources, checked October 17, 2026
- United States Mint: Bullion Coin Programs
- United States Mint: American Buffalo Coins
- United States Mint: U.S. Mint at West Point
- United States Mint: Collectible and Investment Coins
- 31 U.S. Code 5112, Denominations, specifications, and design of coins (Cornell LII)
- 26 U.S. Code 408(m), Investment in collectibles (Cornell LII)
- CME Group: Gold Futures Contract Specs
- Royal Canadian Mint: 2026 Gold Maple Leaf 1 oz bullion coin
We check every figure against the original source: the mint, the regulator, the exchange or the company itself. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
