$5, $10, $25, and $50 · Gold · Bullion / collector
American Gold Eagle
The principal U.S. 22-karat gold bullion series, issued in four weights and in bullion, proof, and burnished collector formats.
- Designer
- Augustus Saint-Gaudens obverse; Miley Busiek Frost and Jennie Norris reverses
- Classic dates
- 1986–present
- Mint facilities
- West Point and other U.S. Mint facilities for selected issues
01 · Overview
Why the American Gold Eagle matters
The American Gold Eagle program began in 1986 as the United States' modern legal-tender gold bullion series. Bullion, proof, and burnished formats use the same statutory 22-karat alloy while guaranteeing one, one-half, one-quarter, or one-tenth troy ounce of fine gold.
The series is not one homogeneous population. Size, year, finish, mintmark, reverse type, packaging, and special privy or anniversary features define the correct issue before mintage or certification data can be used.
02 · Design
Reading the design
Saint-Gaudens obverse
A modern adaptation of the 1907 double-eagle obverse anchors the program. Date treatment and finish vary by product.
Two reverse families
Miley Busiek's family-of-eagles reverse ran through early 2021. Jennie Norris's close eagle portrait began with Type 2 in 2021.
03 · Specifications
Nominal issue specifications
- Denomination
- $5, $10, $25, and $50
- Composition
- 91.67% gold, 3% silver, balance copper
- Nominal weight
- 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz pure gold
- Diameter
- Varies by weight
- Edge
- Reeded, with a 2021 security-edge variation
- Series dates
- 1986–present
Nominal specifications describe regular classic issues. Patterns, proofs, special strikes, production tolerances, and later commemorative or modern versions may differ.
04 · Grading population
How many have been certified at each grade
No static census copied here. Full grade-by-grade counts change and are not republished without the exact issue, service, strike, designation, source, and as-of date. Use the official tools below; verified figures for an individual Nucoins coin appear on that coin's listing.
Population reports count submissions certified by a grading service. They do not count every surviving coin, and a series-wide total is not a substitute for the exact date, mint, variety, strike, designation, and grade. Nucoins listings show the population in the listed grade and the number graded higher when those figures have been checked against an official report.
- Population in grade
- Coins recorded by that service for the exact issue and assigned grade.
- Higher / finer
- Coins recorded by the same service in numerically higher applicable grades.
- Report date
- The date the figure was checked; counts can change after submissions, resubmissions, and database updates.
05 · Issue map
The series in stages
01 · 1986–2021
Type 1 reverse
The family-of-eagles reverse spans bullion, proof, and burnished issues across four sizes.
02 · 2021–present
Type 2 reverse
The new eagle portrait and security features begin a distinct certification family.
03 · Selected years
Special issues
Anniversary, privy, enhanced, and set-only pieces require their own product and population records.
Notable issue checkpoints
Production figures describe coins struck, not coins surviving or certified. Linked issue records provide the context for each figure.
06 · Examination
What photographs should help you examine
Obverse
Finish and high points
Identify bullion, proof, or burnished finish before judging haze, frost, or field marks.
Reverse
Type 1 or Type 2
Confirm the reverse family, edge feature, mintmark, and any privy mark.
Edge / holder
Size and product identity
Match denomination, fine-gold weight, finish, mint, and certification label.
07 · Before buying
Questions the listing should answer
01
Separate metal value from numismatic value
The coin contains a known nominal amount of gold, but its market value can also reflect date, mint, variety, survival, grade, surface quality, and demand. A gold calculation is a useful reference point, not a complete valuation method.
02
Read the holder and the coin
Confirm the grading service, grade, certification number, and any documented designation, then examine the photographs independently. A third-party grade is an attributed opinion; it does not replace a review of color, luster, marks, and surface originality.
03
Treat cleaning and damage separately from wear
Circulation wear is only one part of condition. Cleaning, polishing, scratches, rim damage, mount removal, tooling, and altered surfaces can materially change how a coin is described and valued even when substantial design detail remains.
08 · Sources
Primary references
This guide is educational and intentionally type-level. Issue-specific attribution, mintage, certification, and condition should be verified for the individual coin.