Modern Gold coinage (1986-Current)
American Gold Eagles
Introduced in 1986, the American Gold Eagle helped reestablish modern U.S. gold coinage after more than five decades without a circulating gold program. Featuring Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ iconic Liberty design, the series is offered in multiple sizes and remains one of the most recognized gold coins in modern American numismatics.
About The Collection
For more than half a century, the United States produced no circulating gold coins, following the end of regular U.S. gold coinage in 1933. Although the Mint resumed limited silver coin production for collectors during that period, the nation was without a modern gold bullion coin program. That changed with the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, legislation that authorized the United States Mint to produce a new series of legal-tender gold coins and paved the way for the introduction of the American Gold Eagle in 1986.
The American Gold Eagle has since become one of the world’s most recognized and widely traded gold coins. Its obverse revives Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ celebrated design from the $20 Double Eagle of 1907–1933, depicting a full-length Liberty striding forward with a torch in one hand and an olive branch in the other. From 1986 through early 2021, the reverse featured Miley Busiek Frost’s “Family of Eagles” design. In mid-2021, marking the program’s 35th anniversary, the Mint introduced a new reverse by artist Jennie Norris featuring a striking close-up portrait of the American bald eagle, while also restoring additional details from Saint-Gaudens’ original vision to the obverse. Today, American Gold Eagles are produced in 1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz. and 1/10 oz. sizes, struck in durable 22-karat gold and containing their full stated weight in pure gold. Available in bullion versions as well as specially produced collector editions, the series combines the intrinsic value of gold with one of the most celebrated designs in American numismatic history.
