First issued in 1986, the Gold American Eagle coin is the official gold bullion coin of the United States. Congress authorized the coins via the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985. The Gold Eagles are guaranteed by the US government to contain the declared amount of actual gold weight in troy ounces, whether that be 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, or 1/10 oz. The Act stipulates that this gold must come from sources within the US. While mintage of 1/10 oz Gold Eagles increased from 2004 to 2005, mintage of the other 3 weight Gold Eagles decreased, with the 1/2 oz Gold Eagles decreasing by just over 18,000 from 2004 to 2005. Right now, Silver.com has the 2005 1/2 oz Gold American Eagle coin available for purchase.
Coin Highlights:
- Arrives in a protective plastic flip!
- From the 20th year of the Gold American Eagle coin series!
- Consists of One Half Troy ounce of actual gold content.
- Has a face value of $25 (USD) fully backed by the government of the US.
- The obverse features Lady Liberty.
- The reverse features a family of eagles.
With the year 2001, the price of gold began to steadily climb. In 2002, it once again eclipsed the $300 per ounce mark. In 2003, it again crossed the $400 per ounce mark. Then in 2005, after spending the first half of the year hovering in a very tight price range, near the end of the year the price of gold shot up and once again crossed the $500 per ounce mark, a feat not seen since 1987. After starting 2005 at $427.75, the year ended at $513.00 per ounce. This was an increase of over 17%.
The Gold American Eagle coins are made of a sturdy composition of 22 karat gold. They are comprised of 91.67% gold, 3% silver, and 5.33% copper.
The obverse of the Gold American Eagle depicts a full-length figure of Lady Liberty walking directly at you. Her hair is flowing in the breeze, her right hand outstretched carrying a torch and her left hand carrying an olive branch. Near the bottom of the coin, to the left of her right foot, is a depiction of the Capitol building. This Lady Liberty design is the creation of Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
The reverse of the Gold American Eagle depicts a male eagle, carrying an olive branch, flying towards a nest with a female eagle and a couple of eaglets. This design was created by Miley Busiek and sculpted by Sherl J. Winter, and is said to embody the importance of unity and family tradition in America. It includes several inscriptions as well.
In 1904, being very dissatisfied with the status of US coins, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned new designs for them. He chose Irish-born Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the nation’s coinage. Saint-Gaudens designed the Lady Liberty that appeared on the Double Eagle ($20) gold coins through 1933. It is a version of that Lady Liberty that is the obverse design on the Gold American Eagles today.
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