Among the more popular mints in the world of bullion is the US Mint. This mint is America’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage and circulating coinage. While most know the US Mint for its popular American Eagle Gold collection, the official gold bullion coin of the United States, there is an array of popular gold bullion options from the US Mint.
The official gold bullion coin of the United States is the American Eagle Gold Coin. These coins are also the only bullion coins from the US Mint that still is available in fractional ounces. The series debuted in 1986 with 4 weights available for BU coins, along with a 1 oz proof coin.
This series debuted in 1986 under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985. The release of this coin program marked the first time in 152 years that the US Mint had issued a coin over .900 pure.
In 1986, the US Mint released four BU weights. Each weight is released annually every year.
The same four sizes are available in proof strikes and burnished versions as well. The 1 oz Proof American Eagle Gold Coin debuted alongside the four BU weights in 1986. In 1987 the 1/2 oz proof was released followed by the 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz in 1988. Proof releases did take a one-year break in 2009 due to economic uncertainty and the US Mint trying to keep up with BU demand.
Burnished coins in this series debuted in 2006. All four sizes released annually from 2006-2008. Due to economic uncertainty, no burnished coins in this series were released from 2009 to 2010. These coins made a comeback in 2011, just for the 1 oz coin, and have been released every year since. Fractional burnished coins were discontinued in 2008.
While American Eagle Gold Coins are the most popular coins offered by the United States Mint, it’s not their only annual bullion release. In 2006, they debuted the American Buffalo Gold Coins. The release of these coins marked the first time the federal government released a .9999 gold coin for the public.
These coins are authorized under the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 which required a presidential dollar coin series to begin in 2007 as well as the production of a 1 oz 24-karat gold bullion coin with a face value of $50 and a mintage of at least 300,000. Thus, the American Buffalo Gold Coin was born.
Every coin in this series is struck at the West Point location of the US Mint. The 1 oz version debuted in 2006 and has been released annually ever since. In 2008, the coin program released a 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, and a 1/2 oz coin with face values of $5, $10, and $25 respectively.
Mintage figures for the series fluctuate between 61,500 (2019) – 410,000 (2022). Only twice in the history of the series (2017, 2019) was the mintage under 100,000.
Proof strikes have also been released annually since 2006. After 246,267 were produced in 2006, mintage figures have been consistently under 60,000. Like the BU version, just a 1 oz coin is released every year. In 2008, three fractional ounces were released but just for that year.
In 2013, a special reverse-proof coin was released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original Buffalo Nickel design. There was a mintage of 47,836 for this special release.
The US Mint was established in 1792 with the first coins being struck a year later. It’s believed that the first coins struck were half dimes made from silverware provided by George and Martha Washington. However, there were an array of other unique coins struck such as Pre-33 US Gold. These circulation gold coins feature designs that remain popular with investors and collectors today.
From 1795 to 1833, all US gold coins had 91.67% of gold content. The remaining 8.33% was made up of a combination of silver and copper. From 1834-1836, the gold content in coins was lowered to 89.92% due to merchants exporting US gold coins and melting them down outside of the United States. In 1837, the standard was set. From 1837-1933 all US gold coins had 90% gold.
The most popular Pre-33 US gold coins are the US Eagle denominations.
Due to the California Gold Rush, the US Mint received a heavy surplus of gold. As such, they introduced a US Gold Dollar Coin in 1849. These coins had .04837 Troy oz of the 90% gold and 10% copper mixture.
In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt advocated for new designs for United States coins. As such, he turned to his friend, Augustus Saint Gaudens. Before his death in 1907, he completed designs for the eagle ($10) and the double eagle ($20). Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt created the designs for the half eagle ($5) and the quarter eagle ($2.50) the following year. The eagle, half eagle, and quarter eagle featured the left-profile portrait of a Native American man (known as Indian Eagles) while the double eagle featured a unique image of Liberty marching toward the viewer (known as Saint Gaudens Double Eagle).
Over the years, the US Mint has released special coinage, otherwise known as commemorative gold. These started in 1892 when the US Mint would release coinage to mark special occasions. Gold production in the United States ceased from 1933-1986, However, commemorative gold coins made a comeback a few years prior. The US Mint has released at least one commemorative coin every year since 1982, except for 1985 and 2023. Some popular options offered at Provident Metals are:
You will always find US Mint Gold Coins at Provident Metals. For any inquiries, please don’t hesitate to ask. Our customer service team is available at 1-800-313-3315. Additionally, we can also be reached through email or our online chat feature.
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