American Gold Eagle Coins

The American Gold Eagle is a gold bullion coin of the United States. The coins have been produced by the United States Mint since 1986. The weight, content, and purity of each coin are guaranteed by the US government. Coins have been offered in a variety of weights to accommodate different investment levels. Bullion and collector coins have been offered in one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce sizes.


The Gold Eagle's obverse design is based on the Augustus Saint Gaudens' Liberty image used on the US Gold Double Eagle minted from 1907-1933. The reverse design features a family of eagles, with the eagle in flight carrying an olive branch. This reverse was designed by Miley Busiek for use on the bullion coin series.

Proof and Burnished Gold Eagles

In addition to the standard bullion coins, the United States Mint has produced different Gold Eagle coins for collectors. Since 1986, they have offered Proof Gold Eagles. These coins are produced with a special minting process which includes multiple strikes from specially prepared dies. The result is a cameo finish with frosted raised design elements and mirrored background elements. These coins have been sold directly to coin collectors in the four fractional weights individually or as part of a complete four coin set.

From 2006 to 2008, the United States Mint offered an additional collectible offering. These were the collectible uncirculated or Burnished Gold Eagles. The coins are produced on specially burnished blanks. Although they are similar in appearance to the bullion version of the coin, they carry the "W" mint mark to denote West Point mintage. These Gold Eagles were offered across the four different denominations individually or as a four coin set.

20th Anniversary Gold Eagle Set

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the American Gold Eagle, the United States Mint produced special sets in 2006. The 20th Anniversary Gold Eagle Set included three different one ounce coins. The first was a coin produced in the new collectible uncirculated finish, the second was a proof coin, and the third was a special reverse proof coin.

The 2006 Reverse Proof Gold Eagle featured a finish with mirrored raised design elements and a frosted background. This was the reverse of the standard cameo proof finish. Because of the overall limit for the 20th Anniversary Sets, only 10,000 of the Reverse Proof Gold Eagle were produced. These coins remain popular with collectors for their unique finish and low mintage.