Owner Comments:

Third year of issue.

James Earle Fraser was an American sculptor during the first half of the 20th century. He was an important member of the Commission of Fine Arts; the organization that selects the winning design from all submissions for all new coins to be minted. The American Buffalo is a 24-karat gold coin featuring James Fraser's designs based on the original 1913 Type I Buffalo nickel.

In 2008 the US Mint offered so many options to purchase a Gold Buffalo that it impacted sales of the Proof $50 1 oz coin. In Proof or Bullion you could buy a 1 ounce $50, or fractional 1/10 once $5, 1/4 once $10, or 1/2 once $25 Buffalo separately or buy a four coin set. Sales were spread so thin that purchases for the '08 $50 Proof dropped by 92.34% as compared to the 2006 inaugural $50 Proof.

The release day price of the $50 proof on July 22, 2008 was $1,199.95; the price of gold was $942.20. Sales for the 1 oz. Proof only reached 18,863 coins sold, a temporary record low. The 4 coin proof set was $2,219.95 and sales only reached 7,803 sets sold.

Buffalo Proof Ultra Cameo Mintages

2006 246,267
2007 58,998
2008 $5 18,884
2008 $10 13,125
2008 $25 12,169
2008 Proof Set 7,803
2008 18,863
2009 49,306
2010 49,263
2011 28,683
2012 19,715
2013 18,584
2013 RP 47,836
2014 20,557
2015 16,591
2016 21,878
2017 15,810
2018 15,756
2019 14,844
2020 11,887
2021 16,969
2022 15,943
2023 15,138

Sources: US Mint, USA Gold, Guide to American Gold Buffalo Coins