Gold Eagle (United States)
Edge:	Reeded
Composition:	91.67% Au
Years of Minting:	1986–present
Obverse
Design:	Liberty
Designer:	Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Design Date:	1986
Reverse
Design:	Eagle soaring above his nest.
Designer:	Miley Busiek
Design Date:	1986

The American Gold Eagle is an official gold bullion coin of the United States. Authorized under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, it was first released by the United States Mint in 1986. Offered in 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations, these coins are guaranteed to contain the stated amount of actual gold weight in troy ounces. By law, the gold must come from sources in America, with an additional alloy of silver and copper to produce a more wear-resistant coin of .9167 (22 karat, which had long been the crown gold English standard for gold coins). It is authorized by the United States Congress and is backed by the United States Mint for weight and content. GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Liberty (also known as Lady Liberty or the Goddess of Liberty) personifies liberty and freedom, particularly popular in the United States. ... Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1905 Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Dublin, March 1, 1848 - Cornish, New Hampshire, August 3, 1907), was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. ... Genera Several, see text. ... Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. ... The Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, Pub. ... Seal of the U.S. Mint Denver United States mint building The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... The carat (abbreviation ct or Kt) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys. ... Crown gold is a 22 kt (carat) gold alloy, introduced in England for gold coin manufacture in 1526 (by Henry VIII) on the basis of superior wear properties, and perhaps to save the state mint costs. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political...

The obverse design features a rendition of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' full length figure of Lady Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, with the Capitol building in the left background. The reverse design, by sculptor Miley Busiek, features a male eagle carrying an olive branch flying above a nest containing a female eagle and her hatchlings. Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1905 Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Dublin, March 1, 1848 - Cornish, New Hampshire, August 3, 1907), was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, refers to the classical conception of the Goddess Liberty. ...

The market value of the coins is generally about equal to the market value of their gold content, not their face value. (As of January 2008 the $5, $10, $25, and $50 coins by face value are worth and sell for about $110, $225, $450, and $900 USD respectively.^[1] Their actual selling prices vary daily based on the current spot price of gold.) The American Gold Eagle may be used to fund one government sanctioned Individual Retirement Account. The United States Mint also produces a proof version for coin collectors. These coins are for the most part produced at the West Point mint in West Point, New York and carry the West Point mint mark ("W") beneath the date. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Part of the Taxation series        An Individual Retirement Account (or IRA) is a retirement plan account that provides some tax advantages for retirement savings in the United States. ... A beautiful example of a proof coin. ... This article is about a hobby. ... The West Point Mint Facility was erected in 1937, near the U.S. Military Academy in New York State. ... West Point painting West Point is a federal military base (and a census-designated place) located in the Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York. ...

Specifications

Gold Eagles minted 1986-1991 are dated with Roman numerals. In 1992, the U.S. Mint switched to Arabic numbers for dating Gold Eagles. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Roman numerals are a numeral system originating in ancient Rome, adapted from Etruscan numerals. ... Arabic numerals (also called Hindu numerals or Indian numerals ) are the most common form set of symbols used to represent numbers. ...

The 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 troy oz coins are identical in design to the 1 troy oz coin except for the markings on the reverse side that indicate the weight and face value of the coin (for example, 1 OZ. FINE GOLD—50 DOLLARS). As is often the case with bullion coins, the face values of these coins ($5, $10, $25 and $50; reflecting the fact that the coins are legal tender^[2]) are mostly symbolic and do not reflect their true value. However, in a setback for the I.R.S., a Las Vegas jury refused to convict^[3] nine defendants on any of the 116 charges brought against them valuing Gold eagles with their legal tender value for tax purposes. The jury hung because it could not decide if the defendants were aware that they had to declare the market value of the coins, not their face value. Face Value is the title of Phil Collins debut solo album, released in February of 1981. ... Legal tender or forced tender is payment that cannot be refused in settlement of a debt denominated in the same currency by virtue of law. ... Legal tender or forced tender is payment that cannot be refused in settlement of a debt denominated in the same currency by virtue of law. ...

See also

• American Silver Eagle
• American Platinum Eagle
• American Buffalo
• Eagle (U.S. coin)

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. ... The American Platinum Eagle is the official platinum bullion coin of the United States. ... The American Buffalo is a 24 karat gold bullion coin first released by the United States Mint in June 2006. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Notes

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

American Gold Eagle

• United States Mint American Eagles page
• Brochure from the U.S. MintPDF (714 KiB)