American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin

The American Eagle Gold coins are the most sought after coins series by investors and collectors alike around the world. The reason being that the series are the only bullion coins that were guaranteed by the government of the United States for its purity, weight, and gold content. Under the authorization of the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, the United States Mint released the American Eagle Gold Coins, a series that were considered as the United States’ official gold bullion coin. The American Eagle gold coins were first released into distribution in both proof and uncirculated versions in 1986.

American Eagle Gold Coin - $50

The design of the American Eagle gold coin was inspired by the Augustus Saint-Gauden’s $20 double eagle design which was originally sculpted in 1907, after a careful consideration by the United States Mint. The Saint-Gauden’s $20 double eagle was first minted in 1907 until the circulation came to an end in 1933 due to the Great Depression. It was sculpted to evoke the feel of the classic Greek and Roman coin design.

The obverse side of the American Eagle Gold coin was a rendition of Lady Liberty holding the Torch of Freedom in her right hand an olive branch in her left. The design also includes the Capitol Building as the background for the image of Lady Liberty. It also has the inscription of the coin’s minting year. On the other hand, the reverse side of the coin was sculpted by Miley Busiek, who portrayed a male bald eagle approaching a nest containing a female eagle, carrying with it an olive branch. The image symbolizes the securities and strength that depicts the American family in the United States.

The unique fact of the American Eagle Gold coin is that the gold mined to produce the coins was from the gold mines in the United States alone. The series were minted with 24-karat gold mixed with a small amount of other alloys. This mixture is to ensure that the American Eagle Gold coins have the minimum of scratches and marring and the coin’s 22-karat composition includes 91.7% gold, 5.3% copper and 3% silver. The face value of the coins varies depending on their sizes which ranged from 1-oz, 1/2-oz, 1/4-oz, and 1/10-oz with the face value of $50, $25, $10 and $5 respectively.

Furthermore, the mintage of the American Eagle Gold coins started in 1986 in every size that was mentioned. The minting period ended in 2008 after a total of 11,986,538 1-oz American Eagle Gold coins were minted between 1986 and 2008. The American Eagle Gold coins is said to be the most common coins to be traded and the easiest coins to be liquidized, and can be sold in any parts of the world. That is the advantage that the American Eagle Gold coins hold over the other gold bullion coins in the market.

One interesting fact is that this American Eagle Gold coins series dates were minted with Roman Numerals from 1986 to 1991. However, in 1992, the minting date on the coins was switched to Arabic numbers. The United States Mint produces both proof and uncirculated versions for coin enthusiasts and the actual selling price at the moment could reach up to USD$1,000.

2009 MS70 NGC "Early Release" $5 Gold Eagle Coin Video