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The American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins could be said to be the fastest gold bullion coins to establish a solid market position compared to all other gold bullion coins. This star gold bullion investment coins which were minted from gold that is mined within the borders of the United States are also considered legal tender according to the face value that is imprinted upon it which is considerably lesser than the net gold content worth of the coin.

Eagle coins that were minted between 1986 and 1991 were imprinted with Roman Numerals initially, but were eventually changed to Arabic numerals the following year (1992) in order to make it more acceptable and appealing to certain market segments from the Middle East. The obverse of the coin is graced with a rendition of  Saint-Gaudens’ Lady Liberty just as one would imagine it complete with flowing hair and holding an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right hand with the outline of the infamous Capitol building in the background towards the left.

The design was derived from the original Gauden’s gold coin that had a face value of $20.00 commissioned by the then president Theodore Roosevelt who wanted coins that were akin to ancient Greek or Roman coins. The reverse design was the brainchild of the renowned sculptor Miley Busiek, which has a depiction of a male eagle carrying an olive branch whilst flying above a nest that has a female eagle nested with her hatchlings.

These American bullion coins are 22 karats meaning that they have a gold content or purity of 91.6 % which makes the Eagle more hardy and durable compared to most other bullion and thus the Eagle is more resilient to the effects of wear and tear (the 22 karat standard was actually the established standard for gold coins that were put into circulation more than 3 centuries ago). The fact that these coins are hardier and resistant to scratches and dents, their resale values can be said to always fetch ‘mint condition’ prices.

The American Eagles are also the only coins that come along with a guarantee from the American government adding to the level of confidence of would be buyers interested in investing in gold in the form of gold coins. The American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins are minted in four denominations that is 1/10, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 ounce with each bearing a face value ($ 5, $ 10, $ 25 & $ 50 respectively) according to its legal tender value which is much lesser than their actual value if calculated according to the market price of gold.

The United States Mint also introduced the American Buffalo (also commonly referred to as the gold buffalo) which is 24 karat gold and much like the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Bullion coins susceptible to handling damage due to the softness of pure gold. The gold buffalo has a legal tender value of $ 50 with the content of gold weighing at 31.108 (1.0001 troy ounces) grams and it is normally valued at 4 – 5 % above the spot gold price for its weight.

Gold News Australia