American Gold Eagle Coins Information

American gold eagle coins are ones that have been authorized by congress, and for the most part, are used 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.

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 with lends 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.

These coins are produced, guaranteed about the weight, content and purity through the United States Mint. They swiftly became collector’s items as they were produced in a restricted amount. Originally, you can only avail them from the United States Mint. The silver and platinum coins are solely manufactured in the one ounce size. All the American Gold Eagle coins that you purchase should have a mint mark of a “W” imprinted on it to ensure its authenticity. They are marked as “W” as these uncirculated coins are specifically manufactured at the West Point United States Mint. These American Gold Eagle coins that are marked as uncirculated must be manufactured in amounts which would match the public demand, as stated by the law. Due to this reason, the recent production has been terminated as the mint is not able to suffice the demand. This program will be rescheduled as soon as the mint is able to suffice these demands.

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.

Gold eagles that were minted from 1986 to 1992 are dated using Roman numerals, while those minted after 1992 were dated using Arabic numbers. 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.

Alan Tennant is an author for QualityBullion.com a complete source for information on gold and other precious metals. You can also find excellant prices on American Gold Eagle Coin and plenty of other bullion. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.