2011 American Gold Buffalo
Every version of the 2011 Gold Buffalo with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2011
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 250,000
- Versions
- 2
- Metal
- .9999 fine (24 karat) gold
Original illustration of the coin's size and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because metal and coin prices change daily.
What is a 2011 Gold Buffalo worth?
The 2011 bullion Gold Buffalo is worth its gold content: weight times the day's spot price, plus a modest dealer premium when you buy and less when you sell. Its scarcer versions are different: the 2011-W 1 oz proof (28,683) rates small premium.
Metal value = troy ounces of gold × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 2011 Gold Buffalo version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 250,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 28,683 | Small premium |
There are two 2011 Gold Buffalos, both one ounce with a $50 face value. The bullion coin has no mint mark and was sold through authorized purchasers, with 250,000 coins. The proof has a W mint mark, a mirror and frost finish and 28,683 struck. The proof came in a capsule in a presentation box with a certificate. Bullion usually turns up in tubes or loose. Check for the W first, then the finish. Bullion coins from this year are very common, so a loose one ounce Buffalo dated 2011 is most likely bullion.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2011 Gold Buffalo?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure gold: one troy ounce in the $50 coin. The alloy is 99.99% gold.
- How many 2011 Gold Buffalos were made?
- 250,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 28,683 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2011 Gold Buffalo worth more than its gold?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. Collector versions in their original packaging bring a small premium.
- Is the Gold Buffalo legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($50), but nobody spends them: the gold is worth far more than the face value.
The Gold Buffalo in 2011
Gold climbed to record levels in 2011 and buyers wanted pure gold coins. The Mint sold 250,000 bullion Gold Buffalos, the highest bullion total since 2006 and the most of any year between the launch and 2021. Gold Buffalos sold quickly as buyers looked for pure gold in a form they recognized.
The proof told a different story. Collector sales fell to 28,683 coins, a drop of more than 40 percent from 2010. Bullion and proof figures moved in opposite directions, a pattern that would return in later years. The 2011 proof marks the point where Gold Buffalo proof mintages moved from the high range of the early years into the smaller numbers that became normal later. It's not a scarce coin, but it's noticeably harder to find than the 2009 and 2010 proofs. Even so, nearly 29,000 proofs is more than any later regular proof would manage, so the 2011 proof sits at the upper end of the modern range and remains easy to locate in its original box.
2011 Gold Buffalo by the numbers
The Mint sold 250,000 one ounce bullion Gold Buffalos dated 2011. That ranks 15th lowest of the 19 bullion dates from 2006 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2011 bullion sales were 1.2 times the 2010 figure and 2.5 times the 2012 figure.
Collector versions dated 2011 add up to 28,683 coins across 1 version. The scarcest is the 2011-W 1 oz proof at 28,683.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Gold Buffalo weighs 31.108 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.11 g (1/10 oz), 7.776 g (1/4 oz) and 15.552 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Gold is not magnetic, so a coin that sticks is not genuine. A coin that does not stick still needs the other checks.
- Look for the mint mark. Bullion strikes have none; proofs and burnished coins carry a small letter. A mirror field with frosted design means a proof, a soft satin look means burnished.
- Handle it by the edge and never clean it. Fingerprints, wiping and polishing leave marks that cost collector versions much of their premium.
- Keep the original capsule, box and certificate with collector versions. Coins that come with them are easier to sell and more likely to bring their full premium.
With its large mintage, the 2011 bullion coin trades for a small premium over metal value. The proof carries a collector premium, a step above the 2009 and 2010 proofs because of its smaller mintage. As always with 24 karat gold, the coin's surfaces matter. Look for clean mirror fields without hairlines and keep the box and certificate together with the coin. Graded proofs at the top of the scale draw more interest than raw coins, since buyers can trust the condition.
One ounce only and the reverse proof (2009 to 2015)
From 2009 the program settled into a simple pattern: a one ounce bullion coin and a one ounce proof each year, with no fractional sizes or burnished coins. Bullion demand was strong through these years, running from 180,500 to 250,000 coins in most of them, with 2012 the exception at 100,000. The coin itself didn't change at all, so the date and the finish are the only things that separate one year from the next.
Proof sales started high, at 49,306 in 2009 and 49,263 in 2010, then slid steadily. By 2012 they were under 20,000 and by 2015 they reached 16,591. The design never changed, so the proof's appeal rested on its finish and the W mint mark rather than any new artwork. Bullion buyers, meanwhile, treated every date as interchangeable, since each held the same ounce of pure gold. Collectors who wanted something different had to wait for the anniversary.
The one big event was 2013, the 100th anniversary of the Buffalo nickel. The Mint struck a reverse proof that year, with frosted fields and mirror-like raised details, the opposite of a normal proof. It sold 47,836 coins, far more than the 18,584 regular proofs that year. It's the only reverse proof Gold Buffalo in the program's first 19 years and the one collectors most often add to a basic date run. If you have a Gold Buffalo with frosted fields and shiny lettering, check the date: it should read 2013.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Gold Buffalo |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | .9999 fine (24 karat) gold |
| Alloy | 99.99% gold |
| Sizes | 1/10 oz ($5, 3.11 g, 16.5 mm); 1/4 oz ($10, 7.776 g, 22 mm); 1/2 oz ($25, 15.552 g, 27 mm); 1 oz ($50, 31.108 g, 32.7 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 31.108 g, 32.7 mm |
Frequently asked questions
Why were so many 2011 Gold Buffalos sold?
Gold reached record levels in 2011 and buyers wanted pure gold bullion. The Mint sold 250,000 bullion Gold Buffalos, the most between the 2006 launch and 2021. Proof sales fell that same year.
How many 2011 Gold Buffalo proofs were struck?
The Mint struck 28,683 proofs with the W mint mark, down sharply from 49,263 in 2010. That makes the 2011 proof harder to find than the years just before it. It still isn't a scarce coin overall.
Mintages: American Gold Buffalo (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.