| The Buffalo gold coin is the UnitedStates first foray into the world of ultra-pure gold coins. Production of these coins was started in June of 2006 and was authorized by the Presidential $1 Coin Act, Public Law 109-145. The American Buffalo coin’s obverse and reverse designs feature images originally prepared for America’s Indian Head, or Buffalo, nickel.These designs were prepared by noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, once a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the revered creator of the US Double eagle and eagle coins
The Native American on the coins obverse is believed to be based on three different American Indians. A Lakota Sioux and Chief Two Moons of the Cheyenne. There was a third individual but no records can be found to identify him.It is possible that the buffalo on the coins reverse was modeled after a buffalo from the New York Zoological Gardens called Black Diamond. The Buffalo Gold Coin was the United States first ultra pure 24-karat gold coin. It was created to take advantage of the market enjoyed by the Canadian Maple Leaf, the firstof the ultra pure gold coins. The Gold Buffalo betters the Maple leaf by being 99.9999 percent pure. The Maple leaf is 99.995 percent pure. Lately the Buffalo coin has been enjoying great demand. Perhaps because the US mint has not adjusted the pricing on its Gold Eagle coins since Gold reached historical highs. Another reason might be that the mint introduced fractional buffalo coins which have been attracting many more buyers, due to their lower prices. | 
