The 1980s saw a large influx of gold coins on the world market, the Gold Eagle was yet another coin that was first minted in the 80s. The United States’ Gold Bullion Act of 1985 made the coin’s existence a reality. It did not take long for the US to get the coin put together and the Gold Eagle was released for circulation in 1986. The coin’s design directly emulates a 1907 gold coin who then carried a face value of $20. The 1907 coins were minted only until 1933 when production ceased. Today’s Gold Eagle is a great mixture of designs from the past as well as newer designs.

The obverse side is exactly the same as the $20 coin from 1907 and has an image of “Liberty” that was first created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The reverse side is a newer design that features Miley Busiek’s own image of an Eagle. The design of this coin can only be described as being breathtaking. The Gold Eagle features two symbols that are dear to every Patriot.

Today, the Gold Eagle is offered in face values of $5, $10, $25, and $50. The coins come in weights of 1/10, ¼, ½, and 1 ounces. Something special about the Gold Eagle is that the Gold Bullion Act requires that all American Gold coins be made solely with gold that is mined in the United States. Sporting a fineness of .9167, or just about 92% gold, the Gold Eagle contains copper and silver to add strength. About 3% of the coin contains silver and 5.3% is made of copper.

Because the Gold Eagle is not made of entirely pure gold there is a higher saturation of collectors who purchase the coin, as opposed to investors. But the coin is viewed as a symbol of Americana and that fact alone is enough to lure in massive amounts of collectors. Another reason most investors tend to shy away from the Gold Eagle is because it is so historically relevant. The fact that the design is over 100 years old drives the value of the coin up in the eyes of collectors, which may make other gold coins like the Gold Panda a more viable option to use as investment.