2017 American Gold Buffalo
Every version of the 2017 Gold Buffalo with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 99,500
- 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 2017 Gold Buffalo worth?
The 2017 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 2017-W 1 oz proof (15,810) 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 2017 Gold Buffalo version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 99,500 | Metal value |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 15,810 | Small premium |
Two 2017 Gold Buffalos exist, both one ounce with a $50 face value. The bullion coin has no mint mark and a uniform finish, with 99,500 sold. The proof carries a W mint mark, deep mirror fields and frosted relief, with 15,810 struck. Proofs shipped in a protective capsule and Mint box, certificate included. Bullion coins were shipped in tubes. A coin with no W is bullion, whatever its condition. The proof's W mint mark stays on the coin even if the box and certificate are lost. Check for the W first.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2017 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 2017 Gold Buffalos were made?
- 99,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 15,810 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2017 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 2017
Bullion demand dropped sharply in 2017. The Mint sold 99,500 Gold Buffalos, less than half the 2016 total and the lowest bullion figure up to that point. The coin didn't change: same size, same purity, same Fraser design. Buyers who had picked up Gold Buffalos steadily for years slowed down sharply. It was the start of a three-year lull for the program.
The proof fell to 15,810 coins, giving up the small gain of 2016. Both versions were noticeably smaller issues than the years just before. Demand for bullion coins in general was weaker in these years and the Gold Buffalo has always tracked the wider bullion market. For collectors, 2017 is the start of a run of quieter years with smaller mintages in both versions. The 2017 bullion coin, at under 100,000, is one of the less common bullion dates, though still easy to buy. Buyers who wanted a scarcer bullion date would find an even smaller one two years later, in 2019.
2017 Gold Buffalo by the numbers
The Mint sold 99,500 one ounce bullion Gold Buffalos dated 2017. That ranks 2nd lowest of the 19 bullion dates from 2006 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2017 bullion sales were 2.2 times fewer than 2016 and 1.2 times fewer than 2018.
Collector versions dated 2017 add up to 15,810 coins across 1 version. The scarcest is the 2017-W 1 oz proof at 15,810.
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.
The 2017 bullion coin trades for a small premium over metal value, though its lower mintage gives it slightly more interest than the big years. The proof carries a collector premium. Proofs in original packaging with clean mirror fields are preferred. Pure gold is soft, so check for hairlines, spots and rim dings before buying or selling. A matching run of proofs from these quieter years is a good way to build a set without huge expense in premiums. Store proofs somewhere dry.
Quieter years and the 2020 rebound (2016 to 2020)
After a steady 219,500 bullion coins in 2016, demand for Gold Buffalos fell away. The Mint sold 99,500 in 2017 and 121,500 in 2018, then just 61,500 in 2019, the lowest bullion figure of the program. A 2019 bullion coin is still a gold coin that trades near metal value, but it's the scarcest bullion date in the series. Bullion buyers in these years had plenty of other options and the Buffalo felt the slowdown as much as any coin.
Proof mintages kept drifting lower through these years. From 21,878 in 2016 they fell to 15,810 in 2017, 15,756 in 2018 and 14,844 in 2019. The coins themselves didn't change: same design, same W mint mark, same one ounce size. What changed was the size of the collector base buying them each year. Collectors who buy a proof every year still found them easily, but fewer new buyers joined in, so each date became a slightly smaller issue than the one before.
Then 2020 turned things around. Demand for precious metals surged that year and bullion sales jumped to 242,000 coins, almost four times the 2019 total. The proof went the other way, falling to 11,887, the lowest one ounce proof figure up to that point. So 2020 is a split year: a common bullion coin paired with one of the scarcer proofs in the program. Anyone sorting a group of coins from these years should look for the W first, since the 2019 bullion coin and the 2020 proof are the two that stand apart.
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
How many 2017 Gold Buffalos were made?
The Mint sold 99,500 bullion coins with no mint mark and struck 15,810 proofs with the W mint mark. No earlier year had sold fewer bullion coins. Bullion buyers slowed down considerably.
Is a 2017 Gold Buffalo rare?
Not rare, but less common than many dates. The bullion coin, under 100,000, trades for a small premium, while the proof at 15,810 carries a collector premium. The proof is the scarcer of the two.
Mintages: American Gold Buffalo (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.