2009 Gold Buffalo Bullion Coin
The 2009 Gold Buffalo bullion coin was offered by the United States Mint after a long delay and some rumors that the coin would not be issued. Once it was finally offered, it managed to sell a large number of coins very quickly.
The US Mint has offered the one ounce 24 karat Gold Buffalo bullion coin each year since 2006. In late 2008, the Mint began to experience problems keeping up with the demand for this and other bullion coin offerings. In response, the Mint decided to focus production on one ounce 22 karat Gold Eagle bullion coins and temporarily suspend 24 karat Gold Buffalo Coins.
The suspension persisted into the year until a well known coin publication wrote that the US Mint would not be offering the coins during 2009. The US Mint quickly retracted previous statements and stated that they were legally required to produce American Gold Buffalo bullion coins.
The 2009 Gold Buffalo bullion coins were finally offered starting on October 15, 2009. From the start, the pace of sales was extremely strong due to pent up demand for the offering. By December 4, 2009, the US Mint had sold out of their entire inventory of coins and stated that no additional coins would be produced for the year. In less than two months, a total of 200,000 coins had been sold, representing the second highest annual total for the series.
Separately, the US Mint offered the 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo with sales beginning on October 29, 2009.
2009 Gold Buffalo Specifications:
- Mintage: 200,000
- Mint Mark: none
- Designer: James Earle Fraser
- Composition: 24 karat (.9999 ) fine gold
- Weight: 1.0001 troy ounce (31.1035 g)
- Diameter: 1.287 inches (32.70 mm)
- Thickness: 0.116 inches (2.95 mm)
