The Majestic American Gold Eagle Coins

Owning any piece of physical gold can provide a majestic fealing. Owning a minted piece of gold that shines and has the craftsmanship and quality of the American Eagle Gold Coin is almost indescribable.

American gold eagle coins are authorized by US congress, minted in a US mint, and for the most part, as a way for investors to have a convenient way to have gold as part of an investment portfolio. They were originally started in 1986 and are produced in platinum, gold and silver. The original design of "Lady Liberty" was done by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and first appeared on coins back in 1907. This design stayed on coins until 1933 brought back again for the American Eagle Coin.

These coins are made by the mint and sold as proof coinage. This means they have undergone a specialized process, which consists of feeding the coins manually into a press that has been fitted with special dies. They are then struck numerous times which provides a frosted look to them, and causes the images to float. Then inspectors wearing white gloves scrutinize the coins to ensure purity. Then they are put into a capsule that is protected with a plastic seal. Along with a "Certificate of Authenticity", they are put in a luxurious satin lined velvet case.

See a complete list of American Eagle Gold Coins.

The Unites States Mint produces these coins and guarantees the weight, content and purity. With a limited amount produced, these quickly become collector's items. In their original form they are only available through the United States Mint. The silver and platinum coins are only produced in a one ounce package. To ensure that any of the American Gold Eagle coins that you buy are real, it will have a mint mark of a "W" on it. These uncirculated coins are specially made at the West Point United States Mint, hence the "W". American Gold Eagle coins marked uncirculated must, by law, be produced in quantities that will meet public demand. Because of this, current production has been suspended as the mint cannot meet demand. When the mint is once again able to meet demand the program will be restarted.

Originally in 1986, the mint only made and sold silver and gold proof coins. It wasn't until 1997 that platinum was added to the collection. These coins are called "proof" because they are done by hand. These burnished coins are blank and are fed manually into the presses. American Eagle Gold Proof Coins can be purchased in 1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz. and 1/10 oz. The mint also sells sets containing a single coin of each denomination.

American Gold Eagle Coins shows the "Lady Liberty" design on the obverse, and on the reverse it shows a family of eagles. One interesting fact about these coins is that, by law, they must be made using gold that is found in the United States. At any given time, these coins will sell at the same value of the gold market for spot gold.

All American Eagles minted since 1992 were dated using Arabic numbers while those minted earlier, from 1986 to 1992 used Roman numerals. All coins produced have an identical design to the 1 troy ounce. The only difference will be on the reverse where it will be indicated what the weight of the coin is, as well as its face value.