The American Eagle Gold bullion coins have a standard finish, and from the beginning of the program, have been offered in 4 different sizes – 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz. These coins were intended to be a method for investors to easily and affordably purchase precious metals investment coins. The gold for these coins is required to be mined from deposits in the US. The mintage numbers of the 1987 American Eagle Gold coins dropped off significantly from the 1986 totals. The 1/2 oz American Eagle Gold coins had the smallest mintage numbers of the 4 weights in 1987, at 131,255. Currently, Provident Metals has the 1987 American Eagle 1/2 oz Gold coin available for purchase.

Highlights:

• Arrives in a protective plastic flip!
• 2^nd year of the American Eagle Gold coin series!
• Contains 1/2 Troy oz of actual gold weight.
• Lady Liberty is on the obverse.
• A family of eagles is on the reverse.
• Bears a face value of $25 (USD) fully backed by the American government.

The price of gold started at $403.50 per ounce in 1987. Throughout the year, the price steadily increased, reaching a high of $499.75 per ounce in December. From this high, the price of gold backpedaled a bit, finishing the year at $484.10 per ounce. This amounted to an increase of just over 22% from 1986.

Obverse

The obverse on the American Eagle Gold coin was created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in the early 1900s. It features his full-length figure design of Lady Liberty. She is carrying a torch in her outstretched right hand and an olive branch in her left hand. Her hair is flowing in the breeze. She seems to be walking right off the face of the coin. To the left of her right foot is a small depiction of the Capitol building. Inscriptions on the obverse are LIBERTY and MCMLXXXVII. In the beginning years of the American Eagle Gold coins, the year was stated using Roman Numerals.

Reverse

The reverse of the American Eagle Gold coin was created by Miley Busiek and sculpted by Sherl J. Winter. Their design is said to illustrate the unity and family traditions of America. It features a family of eagles. A male eagle is flying towards the family nest, carrying an olive branch in its claws. A female eagle is guarding a couple of eaglets, as they wait in the nest. Inscriptions on the reverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, 1/2 OZ. FINE GOLD, and 25 DOLLARS.

History

Without asking Congress, in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt called for a redesign of the nations coinage, as he felt the artistic appeal of US coins had fallen behind those of other countries. He chose the very skilled Irish-born Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create the new design. Saint-Gaudens created an ultra high-relief $20 gold piece of which only about 20 were minted in 1907. The obverse of this gold piece was the full length figure of Lady Liberty. After being modified to a normal-relief version, his Lady Liberty then appeared on the Double Eagle ($20) gold coin that was minted from 1907 to 1933. The Saint-Gaudens Lady Liberty design was then chosen to be the obverse of the American Eagle Gold bullion coin series that began in 1986.

Ordering

If you have questions, please contact our Provident Metals Customer Service team we are ready to answer your questions. We can be reached via phone at 800-313-3315, online via our live chat, or via our email address.