Every year, collectors around the world anticipate the day Gold and Silver American Eagles will be released. For you, that day is today! With the reputation and prestige of the U.S. Mint behind them…huge numbers of these coins are minted and sold each year. Whether you’re looking to hold onto real, tangible gold and silver value, or are looking to add to your collection American Eagles as pieces of numismatic art, your best bet is to act quickly.
President Ronald Reagan changed the way Americans invest in precious metals forever with his signing of two bills, the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985 and the Liberty Coin Act in 1985. The President viewed these measures as a way to give Americans an opportunity to own gold and silver without turning to foreign markets. The Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint at the time was Elizabeth Jones, appointed by President Reagan and the first and only woman to ever hold the post. Since that time, American Eagles have become among the most popular gold and silver coins on the planet! Their beautiful, iconic designs inspire, and they’re U.S. Government-guaranteed weight and fineness instills confidence.
A big part of the reason for the popularity of American Eagles comes from the fact that both coins are required by law to be minted from gold and silver mined right here in the U.S. These are truly American coins. Most of the gold and silver mined in the U.S. comes from Alaska, Nevada, Colorado and Idaho.
Another reason these coins are so popular is their beautiful, uniquely American designs, combining the old and the new. Both Gold and Silver Eagles kept the same designs they were introduced with in 1986—known as the Type 1 (T1) designs—until midway through 2021, when each received a new reverse design in honor of their 35-year anniversaries. Those new designs, known as the Type 2 (T2) designs, combined with updated obverse designs that made full use of modern technology to portray the original artists’ vision as intended.
The original T1 reverse of the American Gold Eagle, depicting a family of bald eagles as designed by American sculptor Miley Tucker-Frost, changed to the T2 reverse created by artist Jennie Norris, showing a close-cropped profile of a regal bald eagle with a strong, curved beak, thick plumage, and an intense gaze. The obverse features a modified version of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ classic design for the $20 Double Eagle gold piece, originally commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt and minted from 1907 to 1933. That design features a stunning image of Lady Liberty marching confidently forward, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left hand.
The original T1 reverse on the Silver Eagle featuring the Heraldic Eagle design created by 12th Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint John Mercanti changed to the T2 Eagle Landing reverse design created by artist Emily S. Damstra. That new design portrays an eagle about to land from a flight, grasping an oak branch between its claws. It was engraved by recently retired U.S. Mint artist Michael Gaudioso, a classically trained sculptor, designer and painter. The obverse features a modified version of the classic Adolph A. Weinman “Walking Liberty” image as seen on the Silver Half Dollar from 1916-1947 which—as with the Gold Eagle’s obverse design—is now more closely aligned with the Weinman’s original intent.
Each Gold Eagle is struck in 91.67% fine 22-karat gold, in your choice of one-ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce and one-tenth ounce sizes, with legal-tender values of $50, $25, $10 and $5 respectively. Each Silver Eagle is struck in one ounce of 99.9% fine silver, with a legal-tender value of $1.
For any collectible coin, collectors seek out the finest quality available. That’s what you have here. Each of these 2024 Gold Eagles and 2024 Silver Eagles is certified in perfect Mint State-70 (MS70) condition by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) or Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), two of the top third-party coin-grading services in the world. Each coin has also been designated as First Day of Issue (FDI). Designations are additional attributes of a coin that can increase its collector desirability—and the designation collectors want most on American Eagles is First Day of Issue, which means they were submitted to NGC or PCGS with paperwork from the mint stating they were struck on or before the first day of release from the mint.
But that’s not all! Each of these Gold and Silver Eagles will arrive encapsulated in a tamper-resistant holder, featuring an exclusive label, with hand-signed signatures (one per coin) from men and women who have played a critical role in the designs and popularity of these beautiful coins. Your choice of hand-signed signature labels includes:
In 1991, Elizabeth Jones retired from her position at the US Mint after 10 years of service. Although she did not design any official US currency to be circulated in public, she was monumental in launching the modern US commemorative coin programs that are still running stronger than ever today. After retirement, Jones designed another very popular coin, the 2001 Capitol Visitors $5 Gold Piece. In 1994, she was also made an Honorary Life Member at the American Numismatic Association.
This is the final year labels featuring the hand-signed signature of Elizabeth Jones will be available! These flawless Gold and Silver American Eagles, with perfect grades and sought-after specifications, and hand-signed labels, are only available from our Scarce & Unique Division (with the exception of the Silver Eagle with the individual Michael Gaudioso signature label.) Take a look at these to see why they’ll be a treasured part of your collection!
Gold and Silver American Eagles are currently among the most popular coins in the world, and with more and more collectors anticipating their release each year, the demand is exponentially higher than it was when the coins were first introduced in 1986. Their appeal grows each year, as the number of Gold and Silver Eagle collectors grows.