Buffalo Commemorative Silver Dollar

The U.S. Mint confirms that the proof was struck at Philadelphia and the uncirculated version at Denver.

Why was it made?

The coin was issued to commemorate the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. The Mint added a $10 surcharge to the selling fee,  with the proceeds going toward the museum, its endowment and educational programs. 

And it was a very successful issue. The entire authorized production of 500,000 coins across all versions sold out in only two weeks, from June 7 through June 21, 2001.

The design:

This is where the coin gets particularly interesting.

The obverse is based on James Earle Fraser's Buffalo Nickel, which was produced from 1913–1938. Fraser's Native American portrait was based on three individuals: Chief Iron Tail, Chief Big Tree and Chief Two Moons.

The reverse features Fraser's famous American bison design. The original buffalo model is generally identified as Black Diamond, a bison that was housed at New York City's Central Park Zoo.

There are some deliberate differences from the original Buffalo Nickel. For example, "IN GOD WE TRUST" was added to the commemorative dollar, and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" was repositioned.

Mintage — an important point

The 272,869 figure is the final mintage for the 2001-P Proof. The remaining 227,131 were the 2001-D Uncirculated version, making 500,000 total.

That's a fairly low mintage compared with many modern U.S. commemoratives.

Interestingly, the Mint originally sold the individual proof for $33 pre-issue and $37 at the regular issue.

NOTE: This offer is for the coin only, no packaging or COA.