American Eagle Gold Coin

The American Eagle Gold Coin is a 22 Karat gold bullion coin made by the United States Mint. The Mint began production in 1986. The metallic composition is 91.67% gold, 3% silver and 5.33% copper. American Eagle Gold coins come in four troy ounce sizes: 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz. The four types of coins have the same design but are denominated $5 (.1 oz), $10 (.25 oz), $25(.5 oz) and $50 (1 oz).

The obverse ("heads") side of the coin shows Lady Liberty and is based on the famous $20 dollar gold "Double Eagle" coin designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. (The Double Eagle was produced from 1907 until 1933.) Lady Liberty holds up a torch in her right hand signifying enlightenment and the olive branch in her right hand symbolizing peace. The mint date of the coin is on the obverse size.

The reverse ("tails") side shows a male eagle hovering over a nest with a sitting female eagle and two chicks. The male eagle is carrying the olive branch of peace. The writing on the reverse is as follows. "IN GOD WE TRUST" - the official national motto of the United States of America. "E PLURIBUS UNUM" - (Latin for "Out of Many, One") another of the nations mottos that appears on the Great Seal of the United States. Finally, the weight and denomination of the coin is given, for example, "1 OZ. FINE GOLD - 50 DOLLARS".

Here are a few interesting facts about the American Gold Eagle coin. By law the gold used to make the coins must be mined in America. The coin has 46 stars on the obverse side. This is the same number of stars, representing the number of states in the Union in 1907, that appears on the original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Treasury Secretary Paulson has authorized a new coin, the "2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold" that will have 50 stars.

Face Value	$5	$10	$25	$50
Gross Weight (Troy)	0.1091	0.2727	0.5454	1.0909
Gross Weight (Grams)	3.393	8.483	16.965	33.930
Gold Weight (Troy)	0.10	0.25	0.50	1.00
Gold Weight (Grams)	3.110	7.776	15.552	31.104
Diameter (mm)	16.50	22.00	27.00	32.70
Thickness (mm)	1.19	1.83	2.24	2.87