2006-W BUFFALO $50 FIFTY DOLLAR GOLD PROOF 1oz COIN

The Gold American Buffalo, also known as a gold buffalo, is a 24-karat gold coin first offered for sale on June 22, 2006. The coin follows the greatly admired design of the Indian Head nickel and has gained its nickname from the American Bison on the reverse side of the design. This was the first time ever that the United States Government has minted pure (.9999) 24-karat gold coins for the public. The coin has a legal tender (face) value of US$50. In addition to requiring a presidential dollar coin series to begin in 2007 and redesigning the cent in 2009, the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 mandated the production of a one-ounce 24-karat gold bullion coin with a face value of $50 and a mintage limit of up to 300,000 coins. The design of the American Buffalo gold bullion coin is a modified version of James Earle Fraser's design for the Indian Head nickel (Type 1), issued in early 1913. After a raised mound of dirt below the animal on the reverse was reduced, the Type 2 variation continued to be minted for the rest of 1913 and every year until 1938, except for 1922, 1932, and 1933 when no nickels were struck. Generally, Fraser's Indian Head nickel design is regarded as among the best designs of any U.S. coins. The same design also was used on the 2001 Smithsonian commemorative coin. The obverse (front) of the coin depicts a Native American, whom Fraser said he created as a mixture of the features of three chiefs from different American Indian tribes, Big Tree, Iron Tail, and Two Moons, who posed as models for him to sketch. On the reverse (back) of the coin stands an American Bison, which is commonly referred to as a buffalo. The animal depicted on the reverse is believed by most to be a bison named Black Diamond, who lived in the New York City Central Park Zoo during the 1910s. It has been said that Fraser had to have someone distract the buffalo while he snuck to a position beside it to draw.