As recently as the early twentieth century, the primary form of currency in circulation around the world were gold coins.
The American Gold Eagle Coin was initially released back in 1986 by the US Mint and is its official gold bullion coin. Today if a person wishes to purchase such a coin they have a choice of a number of different weights (denominations) that it comes in and these are as follows:-
1. Tenth of an Ounce 2. Quarter of an Ounce 3. Half of an Ounce 4. One Ounce
Every single coin that is produced no matter which denomination it is is guaranteed to be made from pure gold and must by law come from sources within the USA. But as well as containing the gold the coins will also have an alloy of silver and copper which makes them more resistant to wear. At all times the Gold Eagle coins that are produced are not only backed by the United States Mint in relation to how much they weigh and what they contain, but original ones will need to have been authorized for production by Congress.
As for the actual market value of each coin that has been produced this will be dependent on the quantity of gold contained within them. In January of 2006 the value of the various different coins a person could purchase were as follows:-
Face Value Market Value $5.00 $75.00 $10.00 $150.00 $25.00 $300.00 $50.00 $600.00
But the price that these coins will actually sell at will generally depend on what the spot price of gold is at the time the person chooses to sell theirs. So in recent months you may find that the price you could be offered for your American Gold Eagle Coin is somewhat less than the figures we have mentioned above.
As for the coins design on the main (obverse) side of the coin you will find a full length rendition of the Lady Liberty including her flowing hair whilst holding a lit torch in one hand (right) and an olive branch in the other (left). Also to the left of the Lady Liberty you can see the Capital building in the background. Whilst on the other (reverse) side of the coin is a male eagle that is carrying an olive branch as he flies over the nest which contains a female with her young. The observe find of the coin was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and the reverse side was designed by Miley Busiek.
However although the official American Gold Eagle Coin was introduced and released in 1986 a $10 one which dates back to 1804 and called the Eagle Coin was sold to a private collector for $5 million. This particular coin was actually made for the president of the USA at the time Andrew Jackson as a diplomatic gift, but can not really be classified as an American Gold Eagle Coin.
