NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Eagle (United States coin)

The eagle was a base-unit of denomination issued only for gold coinage by the United States Mint. The eagle was the largest of the four main decimal base-units of denomination used for circulating coinage in the United States prior to 1933, the year when gold was withdrawn from circulation. These four main base-units of denomination were the cent, the dime, the dollar, and the eagle, where a dime is 10 cents, a dollar is 10 dimes, and an eagle is 10 dollars. Just as the cent base-unit of denomination served as the basis of the copper half cent, the copper cent, and the copper double-cent coins and just as the dime base-unit of denomination served as the basis of the silver half-dime, the silver dime, and the silver double-dime coins and just as the dollar base-unit of denomination served as the basis of the silver quarter-dollar, the silver half-dollar, the silver dollar, and the gold dollar coins, the eagle base-unit of denomination served as the basis of the gold quarter-eagle, the gold half-eagle, the eagle, and the double-eagle coins. Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. ... The United States Mint is responsible for producing and circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United States one-cent coin, commonly called a penny, is a unit of currency equaling 1100 of a United States dollar. ... A dime is a coin issued by the United States Mint with a denomination of one tenth of a United States dollar, or ten cents. ... The dollar (represented by the dollar sign: $) is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... The half-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1793-1857. ... The two-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1864-1873 with decreasing mintages throughout that time. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ...

With the exceptions of the gold dollar coin, the gold three-dollar coin, the three-cent nickel, and the five-cent nickel, the unit of denomination of coinage prior to 1933 was conceptually linked to the precious or semi-precious metal that comprised a majority of the alloy used in that coin. In this regard the United States followed long-standing British and European practice of different base-unit denominations for different precious and semi-precious metals. In the United States, the cent was the base-unit of denomination in copper. The dime and dollar were the base-units of denomination in silver. The eagle was the base-unit of denomination in gold. The United States three cent coin was a unit of currency equaling 3/100th of a United States dollar. ... The United States five-cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a unit of currency equaling one-twentieth, or five-hundredths, of a United States dollar. ... A gold nugget A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element of high economic value. ... An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ...

During the 1850s following the discovery of gold in California, an additional fifth base-unit of denomination was proposed, called a "union" whose value would have been 10 eagles or, equivalently, 100 dollars. Although prototypes of union and half-union gold coins were minted and presented for inspection to Congress, Congress did not pass a law that authorized the minting of union-denominated and half-union-denominated coins for circulation because the double-eagle coin was viewed as a substantial sum of money for the general public at the time and a half-union or union coin would primarily have circulated only among banks and other financial institutions. Despite this absence of a half-union coin for general circulation, a single issue of a gold commemorative $50 coin was minted in 1915. All of these gold coins have been retired and are no longer produced for circulation. Although technically still legal tender, the value of the gold content vastly exceeds the face value in the years following 1971, the year at which the value of the dollar ceased being pegged to a fixed amount of gold. They are generally held either by coin collectors or as an investment in gold. // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution... The California Gold Rush was a period in American history marked by great world-wide interest concerning a gold discovery in Northern California. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... Commemorative coins are legally issued coins with a denomination that are not usually meant for circulation. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 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. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Quarter eagles were issued for circulation by the United States Mint from 1796 until 1929; half eagles from 1795 until 1929; eagles from 1795 to 1933; and double eagles from 1850 to 1933, although for each of these ranges of years there were occasional gaps in production. The diameter of quarter eagles was 17 mm; of half eagles 21 mm; of eagles 27 mm; and of double eagles 34 mm. The purity of all circulating gold coins in the United States was 22 karats (11 parts gold to 1 part alloy). The weight of quarter eagles was 67.5 troy grains (4.37 g); of half eagles 135 troy grains (8.75 g); of eagles 270 troy grains (17.5 g); of double eagles 540 troy grains (1.125 troy ounces or 35 g). 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... MM or Mm or mm can mean or be an abbreviation for: Military: Machinists Mate, a rating in the United States Navy Military Medal, a British and Commonwealth decoration Commerce: Million, in traditional accounting or investment banking Minute Maid, a brand of orange juice and other beverages MM, a... Carat is a measure of the purity of gold and platinum alloys. ... // Technical usage in physical sciences Established official technical definition : In the physical sciences, the weight of an object has a particular technical meaning. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... For other meanings of gram, see gram (disambiguation). ... The ounce is the name for a number of different units of mass (oz), and also of two units of fluid volume (fl oz) and of one unit of force, the ounce-force (ozf). ...

American Eagle: silver, gold and platinum bullion coins

The United States' circulating eagle denomination from the late 18th century to first third of the 20th century should not be confused with the American Eagle bullion coins which are manufactured from silver (since 1986), gold (since 1987) or platinum (since 1997). Bullion coins carry a nominal face value, but their value is mainly dictated by their troy weight and the current precious metal price. American Eagle bullion coins are produced by the United States Mint. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Atomic mass 195. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... A gold nugget A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element of high economic value. ...

See also

The American Gold Eagle is the official bullion gold coin of the United States. ... 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 1933 Double Eagle, Saint Gaudens design Double Eagle is the official term used for gold coins of the United States with a denomination of $20. ...

External links / References

Category: United States gold coins It has been suggested that the section United States coins from the article United States dollar be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... U.S. Federal Reserve notes (greenbacks) in the mid-1990s The history of the United States dollar covers more than 200 years. ... Today, the currency of the United States, the U.S. dollar, is printed in bills in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. ... Top row: The distinctive green ink used on the backs of Demand Notes gave rise to the term greenbacks Bottom row: Prominent design elements used on the front of $5 and $20 Demand Notes (located respectively under their denomination); pictured in the middle is the front of a $10 Demand... Federal Reserve bank notes were United States currency issued by individual Federal Reserve banks. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... National Bank Notes were United States currency banknotes issued by banks chartered by the United States Government. ... National Gold Bank Notes were banknotes first authorized on July 12, 1870 by the United States Government. ... A picture of a Silver Certificate (top image is the obverse of the certificate, bottom image is the reverse of the certificate). ... United States Notes (also known as Legal Tender Notes because of their payment obligation stating This Note is a Legal Tender) are banknotes characterized by a red seal and serial number. ... The United States large cent was a coin with a face value of 1/100 of a United States dollar. ... The two-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1864-1873 with decreasing mintages throughout that time. ... The Trade Dollar was a silver dollar coin issued by the United States solely for trade in the orient with China, Korea, and Japan. ... Dollar coins have been minted in the United States in gold, silver and base metal versions. ... The Quarter Eagle was authorized by the Act of April 2, 1792. ... The 1933 Double Eagle, Saint Gaudens design Double Eagle is the official term used for gold coins of the United States with a denomination of $20. ...