Copyright © PeerMetals 2026
The official 1 oz gold bullion coin of the United States, first struck in 1986 alongside the Silver Eagle. Legal tender with a $50 face value, though like the Silver Eagle it trades on its gold content rather than that nominal value. Also minted in 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz fractional sizes.
American Gold Eagle melt value tracks gold spot price directly — this chart is the same live gold price used to calculate the melt value above, so you can see the trend behind today's number.
What is actually struck on each face, and who designed it.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens' full-length Lady Liberty striding forward with a torch and olive branch, on loan from the 1907–1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle ($20 gold piece) — widely regarded as one of the most beautiful US coin designs ever struck.
A family of eagles designed by Miley Busiek: a male eagle carrying an olive branch, descending to a nest where a female eagle waits with her hatchlings — a design unique to the Gold Eagle series, not shared with any other US coin.
The Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985 created the American Gold Eagle, and the US Mint struck the first coins in 1986 — the same year the Silver Eagle launched. Unlike some sovereign gold coins, the Gold Eagle is not pure (24k) gold: it is alloyed to 22 karat for durability, since a coin meant to circulate and be handled needs to resist scratching and wear better than soft pure gold does.
The obverse reuses Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Lady Liberty from the 1907–1933 double eagle, a design President Theodore Roosevelt personally commissioned and one many collectors consider the finest in American coinage. The reverse — a male eagle returning to a nest of a female and hatchlings — was designed specifically for this coin by sculptor Miley Busiek and has never appeared on any other US issue.
The Gold Eagle comes in 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz sizes, each with its own face value ($50, $25, $10, and $5 respectively) and its own proportionally smaller diameter. That range makes it possible to buy gold in smaller dollar increments than a full ounce requires, which is part of why it remains the most widely held gold bullion coin among US investors.
About the American Gold Eagle
At the current gold spot price of $4,127.78/oz, the melt value of a American Gold Eagle (1 troy oz, .9167 fine gold (22 karat, alloyed with silver and copper for durability)) is approximately $4,127.78. This updates continuously with the spot price above — sellers on the marketplace typically price above melt value, since the premium covers minting, distribution, and dealer margin.
Melt value is the raw metal content only — what you'd get scrapping the coin. The premium above it pays for minting, distribution, and dealer margin, and on this marketplace specifically, it's set by each individual seller rather than one company's price list, so it's worth comparing a few listings rather than buying the first one you see.
Like any commodity, gold trades on global supply and demand — mine output and recycling on the supply side, industrial use, jewelry, and investment buying on the demand side. Short-term moves are usually driven by macro factors: interest rates, currency strength, and how much uncertainty investors are pricing into markets generally.
Government-minted bullion coins like this one are legal tender, widely recognized, and easy to resell — that recognition is usually worth the modest premium over generic rounds or bars of the same weight. For buyers who want to add to a physical position gradually, one-ounce coins are also just a convenient, liquid unit size.
This page shows melt value — spot price times pure metal content, recalculated on every page load. Individual seller listings add their own premium on top, and that premium (not the melt value) is what actually varies between sellers, so it's normal for listing prices below to sit above the number at the top of this page.
Melt value at the same live gold spot price of $4,127.78/oz.
