Gold Coins**American Gold Eagles**Gold**Certified American Gold Eagles
Certified American Gold Eagles refer to any American Gold Eagle coins which have been graded, authenticated, and “”slabbed”” by an official certification company. These Gold Eagles have undergone tests to verify their authenticity, and also have been assigned a grade between 1-70 to determine the coin’s quality of appearance and production. The main grading companies in the USA are NGC and PCGS.
The American Gold Eagle is the most popular gold bullion coin in the United States. American Gold Eagle coins are struck each year in four different weights: 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz. Each American Gold Eagle coin contains .9167 fine (22 karat) gold and has a face value that corresponds to the weight of the coin. Starting with the 1 oz coin, the face value of American Eagle Gold coins is $50, $25, $10, and $5. The 1/4 oz coin is the only one in the series with a face value that is not proportional to its weight.
Congress authorized the production of American Gold Eagle coins when the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985 passed through congress. The act stipulates that the United States Mint must use gold sourced from domestic sources to mint each American Gold Eagle. All of the coins are struck by the United States Mint, with the West Point Mint responsible for the bulk of production. Since 1986, the West Point Mint has produced bullion and proof coins in the series, with a few notable exceptions:
The theme of the series focuses on American freedom. Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed the image used today on the American Gold Eagle in 1907. His depiction of Lady Liberty was first used on the $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coin, and was commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt. Sculptor Miley Busiek was tasked by the US Mint with creating the image of the bald eagle used on the coin’s reverse side. Her image was developed specifically for use on American Gold Eagle coins.
The obverse side bears Saint-Gaudens’ depiction of Lady Liberty. In it, she is featured striding forward over the national capital in Washington DC. She holds a torch aloft in her right hand to guide the way, while clutching an olive branch in her left hand. Engravings include 50 stars around the rim, representing each state, “Liberty,” and the year of minting.
On the reverse side of American Gold Eagle Coin is Busiek’s image of a family of nesting eagles. In the depiction, a male eagle returns to the nest with an olive branch in its talons. A female and young hatchlings await the male’s return in the nest. Engravings on this side include “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “In God We Trust,” and the coin’s weight, purity, metal content, and face value.
As part of its 35th-anniversary celebration, the United States Mint unveiled new designs for the American Silver and American Gold Eagles. Each coin got its own redesign of the existing bald eagle reverse fields. For the Gold Eagle, this meant the eventual discontinuation of the Miley Busiek design in use since 1986 and the introduction in the latter half of 2021 of a new reverse design from Jennie Norris. Ms. Norris created a new depiction of the American bald eagle that captures the real-life beauty of these magnificent beasts:
Certified Gold Coins are those coins that have been physically reviewed by either the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) to determine the visual quality of the coin itself, it’s design strike, and its finished appearance. You will find both Certified American Gold Eagles and Certified Proof American Gold Eagles available at JM Bullion.
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