Description
The Gold American Eagle is the most traded and trusted coin in the world. It was first released in 1986 by the US Mint.
The obverse of the coin was designed by Augustus St. Gauden, who is noted as one of the most influential coin engravers in the history of the US Mint.
On the obverse, Lady Liberty is presented wearing a toga, which relates to the Greco-Roman origins of the western world.
The coin parts ways with older coins in that it presents the full-body image, whereas the older coins typically show a side portrait of a face.
Lady Liberty is holding the torch of wisdom out in front of her with her right hand and she holds an olive branch out to the side with her left hand. This symbolic meaning is that peace follows wisdom.
The reverse, which was designed by Miley Busiek, features a male bald eagle returning to his nest with an olive branch, where a female tends to two fledglings await.
The contents of this coin are often misunderstood. While the various denominations of the Gold American Eagle are 22 karat and .9167 pure gold, the $50 GAE, for example, still has 1 full troy ounce of gold. Silver and copper are alloyed to add luster and hardness, not to make the coin heavier. The total weight of the coin 1.0909 troy ounces or 33.931 grams.
The coin is minted at the US Mint in West Point, N.Y.
The $50 GAE has a thickness of 2.87 mm and a diameter of 32.7 mm.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.