The American Gold Eagle coin series launched with a minting of gold coins with a face value of 20 US dollars in the period of 1907-1933. Then there was a long break and the coin Gold Eagle was transformed into a series of bullion coins of four denominations: 5, 10, 25 and 50 US dollars. The distinctive feature of this series was that the obverse was always the same, and the reverse, depicting the image of the bald eagle (the US heraldic symbol), acquired new design and meaning.
Denominations of American Eagle gold coin series
5 US dollar coin of 1981-1986
- Obverse: woman climbing up the mountain, symbolizing liberty, with a torch and a laurel twig in her hands; building of the US Congress and rays of sun in the background; year of minting in Roman numerals (since 1992 – in Arabic numerals); inscription «LIBERTY»; stars symbolizing states of the US.
- Reverse: bald eagle with a laurel twig in its clutches; nest with a female bald eagle with offspring; inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right; “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the left; “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” at the top; “1 OZ. FINE GOLD – 5 DOLLARS” at the bottom.
- Edge: reeded
- Composition: 3 % Ag / 91.7 % Au / 5.3 % Cu
- Weight: 3.393 g
- Diameter: 16.5 mm
- Thickness: 1.19 mm
The 1990 year of minting
The 1994 year of minting
5 Dollars 1994 American gold coin in our catalog.
The 2007 year of minting
The 2015 year of minting
10 US dollar coin of 1986-2018
- Obverse: woman climbing up the mountain, symbolizing liberty, with a torch and a laurel twig in her hands; building of the US Congress and rays of sun in the background; year of minting in Roman numerals (since 1992 – in Arabic numerals); inscription «LIBERTY»; stars symbolizing states of the US.
- Reverse: bald eagle with a laurel twig in its clutches; nest with a female bald eagle with offspring; inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right; “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the left; “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” at the top; “1 OZ. FINE GOLD – 10 DOLLARS” at the bottom.
- Edge: reeded
- Composition: 3 % Ag / 91.7 % Au / 5.3 % Cu
- Weight: 8.483 g
- Diameter: 22 mm
- Thickness:1.78 mm
The 1994 year of minting
10 Dollars 1994 American gold coin in our catalog.
The 2002 year of minting
The 2015 year of minting
The 2018 year of minting
20 US dollar coin of 1907-1933
- Obverse: woman climbing up the mountain, symbolizing liberty, with a torch and a laurel twig in her hands; building of the US Congress and rays of sun in the background; year of minting in Roman numerals (since 1992 – in Arabic numerals); inscription «LIBERTY»; stars symbolizing states of the US.
- Reverse: bald eagle flying in the background of the rising sun; phrase “IN-GOD-WE-TRUST” minted since 1907; inscription in two lines “* UNITED * STATES * OF * AMERICA * TWENTY * DOLLARS *”.
- Edge: «E PLURIBUS UNUM»
- Composition: 10 % Cu / 90 % Au
- Weight: 39.44 g
- Diameter: 34 mm
- Thickness: 2.023 mm
The 1907 year of minting
The 1909 year of minting
The 1925 year of minting
20 Dollars 1927 American gold coins in our catalog.
The 1933 year of minting
25 US dollar coin of 1986-2018
- Obverse: woman climbing up the mountain, symbolizing liberty, with a torch and a laurel twig in her hands; building of the US Congress and rays of sun in the background; year of minting in Roman numerals (since 1992 – in Arabic numerals); inscription «LIBERTY»; stars symbolizing states of the US.
- Reverse: bald eagle with a laurel twig in its clutches; nest with a female bald eagle with offspring; inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right; “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the left; “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” at the top; “1 OZ. FINE GOLD – 25 DOLLARS” at the bottom.
- Edge: reeded
- Composition: 91.7 % Au / 5.3 % Cu / 3 % Ag
- Weight: 16.965 g
- Diameter: 27 mm
- Thickness: 2.15 mm
The 1986 year of minting
The 1988 year of minting
25 Dollars 1994 American gold coin in our catalog.
The 2003 year of minting
50 US dollar coin 1986-2018
- Obverse: woman climbing up the mountain, symbolizing liberty, with a torch and a laurel twig in her hands; building of the US Congress and rays of sun in the background; year of minting in Roman numerals (since 1992 – in Arabic numerals); inscription «LIBERTY»; stars symbolizing states of the US.
- Reverse: bald eagle with a laurel twig in its clutches; nest with a female bald eagle with offspring; inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right; “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the left; “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” at the top; “1 OZ. FINE GOLD – 50 DOLLARS” at the bottom.
- Edge: reeded
- Composition: 3 % Ag / 91.7 % Au / 5.3 % Cu
- Weight: 33.931 g
- Diameter: 32.7 mm
- Thickness: 2.87 mm
The 1988 year of minting
50 Dollars 1994 American gold coin in our catalog.
The 1996 year of minting
The 2011 year of minting
The 2017 year of minting
What this series was created for
The American Golden Eagle of 1989-2018 was created on the basis of a previously minted twenty-dollar coin designed by the famous architect August Saint-Gaudens, which is still considered to be one of the most successful and beautiful coins in the United States. Today, Golden Eagle coins denominations of 50, 25, 10 and 5 US dollars, unlike the twenty-dollar coin, are exclusively bullion and cannot be legal tender.
Circulation
| Year of minting | 50 US dollars (pcs.) | 25US dollars (pcs.) | 10 US dollars (pcs.) | 5 US dollars (pcs.) |
| 1986 | 1,362,650 | 599,566 | 726,031 | 912,609 |
| 1987 | 1,045,500 | 131,255 | 269,255 | 580,266 |
| 1988 | 465,500 | 45,000 | 49,000 | 159,500 |
| 1989 | 415,790 | 44,829 | 81,789 | 264,790 |
| 1990 | 373,210 | 31,000 | 41,000 | 210,210 |
| 1991 | 243,100 | 24,100 | 36,100 | 165,200 |
| 1992 | 275,000 | 54,404 | 59,546 | 209,300 |
| 1993 | 480,192 | 73,324 | 71,864 | 210,709 |
| 1994 | 221,663 | 62,400 | 72,650 | 206,380 |
| 1995 | 200,636 | 53,474 | 83,752 | 22,3025 |
| 1996 | 189,148 | 39,287 | 60,318 | 401,964 |
| 1997 | 664,508 | 79,605 | 108,805 | 528,515 |
| 1998 | 1,468,530 | 169,029 | 309,829 | 1,344,520 |
| 1999 | 1,505,026 | 263,013 | 564,232 | 2,750,338 |
| 2000 | 433,319 | 79,287 | 128,964 | 569,153 |
| 2001 | 143,605 | 48,047 | 71,280 | 269,147 |
| 2002 | 222,029 | 70,027 | 620,27 | 230,027 |
| 2003 | 416,032 | 79,029 | 74,029 | 245,029 |
| 2004 | 417,019 | 98,040 | 72,014 | 250,016 |
| 2005 | 356,555 | 80,023 | 72,015 | 300,043 |
| 2006 | 237,510 | 66,005 | 60,004 | 285,006 |
| 2007 | 140,016 | 47,002 | 34,004 | 190,010 |
| 2008 | 710,000 | 61,000 | 70,000 | 305,000 |
| 2009 | 1,493,000 | 110,000 | 110,000 | 270,000 |
| 2010 | 1,125,000 | 81,000 | 86,000 | 435,000 |
| 2011 | 857,000 | 70,000 | 80,000 | 350,000 |
| 2012 | 675,000 | 43,000 | 90,000 | 290,000 |
| 2013 | 758,500 | 57,000 | 114,500 | 555,000 |
| 2014 | 425,000 | 35,000 | 90,000 | 545,000 |
| 2015 | 626,500 | 75,000 | 158,000 | 980,000 |
| 2016 | 817,500 | 74,000 | 152,000 | 925,000 |
Design
In 1986, the famous American sculptor Miley Buzick (Frost) was assigned to update the reverse design for a new series of American Eagle coins. It is worth noting that for the first time in history such work was done by a woman. Inspired by Ronald Reagan’s inaugural speech, she created a reverse sketch with not only one bald eagle, but with a whole family. That became a symbol of America’s unity. As for the well-known phrases “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, they were kept unchanged, staying faithful to the historical tradition.
Today, the Golden Eagle coins can be purchased directly at American mints or their branches:
- in a hermetic plastic capsule;
- in a capsule and gift packing of the mint.;
Mints
The US Mint, which until 1984 was called the “Mint Bureau”, was opened in April 1792. The main mint was and still is in Philadelphia, because at the time of its opening, Philadelphia was the capital city. Then, the branches were built in San Francisco, Denver, New Orleans, and Carson City. Today, the coins of American Eagle series are minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, West Point, and New York.
Cost on the market
Despite the fact that all the coins of this series of investment gold coins have a certain denomination, their market price is several times higher than its nominal value. Several factors are the reason for that:
- price of 1 troy ounce of gold on the world’s stock exchanges;
- quality of coinage;
- number of copies;
- rareness;
- demand on the numismatic market.
The approximate cost of all denominations of this series:
- 5 US dollars – $ 127.9-165;
- 10 US dollars – $ 319.76-404;
- 20 US dollars– $ 10,422-25,842;
- 25 US dollars – $ 800-10,000;
- 50 US dollars – $ 1,400-20,000.
Interesting fact
The creation of coins with the image of eagles was preceded by some historical events. By 1905, the United States of America achieved a high growth of the economy, political influence and status in the world arena. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt was walking through the Smithsonian Institution and admiring the beauty of the ancient Greek coin depicting Alexander the Great. It was then that he decided to update the design of gold coins so that they reflect the power and grandeur of America. Thus, thanks to the efforts of the architect August Saint-Gaudens, new coins were minted, which today were transformed into the famous series of gold coins with eagles.