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2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle
'); document.write(' Description: When the United States began producing precious metal bullion coins in the mid-1980s, the first gold coins were minted in a 22 karat standard. The obverse of the new coin was a copy of the acclaimed 1907 Saint-Gaudens gold double eagle, the reverse an image of a family of bald eagles by Miley Frost. The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 authorized the production of a new bullion coin, a “$50 gold coin that É weighs 1 ounce, and contains 99.99 percent pure gold.” James Earle Fraser’s native American obverse, bison reverse designs for the 1913 Indian Head or Buffalo nickel were reused for this coin. The effort to create a higher purity coin was a response to the efforts of other countries in increasing the bullion coin purity standard, perhaps most obviously Canada’s .99999 pure $350 gold coin introduced in 1998. In March, 2008, U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy announced that the U.S. Mint would recreate the original Ultra High Relief gold double eagle design. The 1907 examples of Saint-Gaudens’ pieces are considered patterns, with fewer than 20 examples likely surviving. Through President Theodore Roosevelt’s insistence several thousand High Relief double eagles were released shortly thereafter, but the technical issues of minting coins with such depth eventually became paramount. It was left to the much-maligned Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber to modify the artistic craft of the coin so that production needs could be met. However, in...'); document.write(''); document.write('

Platinum Eagle Bullion, 1997-Present
'); document.write(' Description: By the mid-1980s world demand for citizen ownership of precious metals was growing, particularly for silver and gold. Responding to the production and sale of silver and gold coins by other countries such as Canada and South Africa, Congress authorized the U.S. Mint to begin producing gold and silver bullion coins through the authority of the Bullion Coin Act of 1985. Platinum coins were added to U.S. government bullion offerings in 1997, initiated as part of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1997 (P.L. 104-208 proof; P.L. 99-61 bullion). Though estimated to be 15 times more scarce than gold, and expensive to refine, platinum bullion has for several years tracked at only about double gold’s price. Four different sizes of platinum coins are offered by the Mint, all in 0.9995 purity: the one ounce, with a $100 face value (the highest face value of any U.S. coin); the half-ounce, with a $50 face value; the quarter-ounce, with a $25 face value; and the tenth-ounce, with a face value of $10. As with silver and gold bullion coins produced by the U.S. Mint, the face value makes the coins legal tender for commerce, but the actual value is the metal content, which is worth much more than face value. A May 1, 1997, press release from the Mint noted a price for the four-coin proof set at $1,350, for coins with a total face value of $185. As expected, prices for the platinum coins have increased significantly since introduced over a decade ago. P...'); document.write(''); document.write('

Indian Head Half Eagle 1908-1929
'); document.write(' Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries Description: The early part of the 20th century was a time of great creativity in the design of U.S. coinage. August Saint-Gaudens’ double eagle was introduced in 1907, along with his Indian Head eagle. Victor D. Brenner’s Lincoln cent, commemorating in 1909 the centennial of the President’s birth, broke new ground- it was the first use of a presidential portrait on a circulating coin. A few years later, in 1913, James Earl Fraser’s Indian Head, or Buffalo, nickel was introduced, followed shortly thereafter in 1916 by Adolf A. Weinman’s Winged Liberty Head (Mercury) dime and Liberty Walking half dollar and Hermon A. MacNeil’s Standing Liberty quarter. In the same time period, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition produced several silver and gold commemoratives, including the Charles E. Barber/ George T. Morgan allegorical quarter eagle (one of Barber’s most creative works), and Robert Aitken’s equally symbolic round and octagonal fifty dollar gold pieces. Following the acclaim received for Saint-Gaudens’ stunning efforts on the ten and twenty dollar gold pieces, President Theodore Roosevelt turned his attention to the other two gold denominations, the quarter eagle and the half eagle (production of one dollar and three dollar gold coins ended in 1889). The Liberty Head half eagle had been minted since 1839. Saint-Gaudens died in 1907, an...'); document.write(''); document.write('

Winged Liberty (?Mercury?) Dime, 1916-1945
'); document.write(' Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries Description: The Mint Act of 1890 allowed the design of a coin to be changed every 25 years. Thus, in 1916, there was interest in replacing Charles E. Barber’s designs for the dime, quarter, and half dollar. Mint Director Robert W. Woolley invited three renown sculptors outside the Mint to produce designs for the three denominations. Though perhaps intending that each coin would display the efforts of a different artist, Adolph A. Weinman, a former student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, completed two of the three designs, for the dime and the half dollar. Hermon A. MacNeil’s design was chosen for the quarter. The new designs were representative of the artistic vigor of the early 20th century that was displayed on U.S. coins, a group that along with Weinman’s dime included the Lincoln cent; the Indian Head (buffalo) nickel; Weinman’s Liberty Walking half dollar; the incuse Indian Head quarter eagle and half eagles, Saint-Gaudens’ Indian Head eagle and eponymous double eagle, and several commemorative issues such as the Panama-Pacific Exposition silver and gold pieces. Modeled after Elsie Stevens, wife of poet Wallace Stevens and a tenant of a New York City apartment house owned by the sculptor, Weinman’s Liberty on the dime wears a Phrygian cap, a soft somewhat conical device that became known as a symbol of freedom. The cap is depicted supported by a pole on late 18th c...'); document.write(''); document.write('

The 1796 No Stars Quarter Eagle
'); document.write('By Doug Winter RareGoldCoins.com Dually popular as a one-year type and a first-year-of-issue, the 1796 No Stars is among the most desirable early United States gold coins. It is actually less rare than its With Stars counterpart but it is traditionally valued more highly and is certainly held in greater esteem by most collectors. Its low mintage, unique design and numismatic significance combine to make it an issue that is considered a cornerstone of any collection of early United States gold coins. STRIKE: Virtually all known examples are weak at the centers. On the obverse, this weakness is seen on the ear, the hair above and below the ear and the curls surrounding the face. About half of the 1796 No Stars that I have seen are weak on the E in LIBERTY. Some have detail on the obverse border while others show little or no definition on the denticles in this area. The obverse generally appears weaker than the reverse. This is not so much a function of strike is it is the design of the coin. The openness of the No Stars obverse causes this side to wear easily. The reverse is often weak on both the top and the base of the eagle?s neck. On some, the tip of the tail is weak; on others it is sharper. The tip of the left wing is always flat and the entire left wing appears less detailed than that on the right. The right claw is usually weak as well. The reverse denticles are typically visible from around 7:00 to 2:00 and hard to see or invisible from 3:00 to 7:00. SURFACES: The s...'); document.write(''); document.write('

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, With Motto, 1908-1933
'); document.write(' Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries Description: The first Saint-Gaudens double eagles, acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and artistic U.S. coin designs, did not display the motto IN GOD WE TRUST anywhere on the coin. Even though the Coinage Act of 1890 did not include that motto in the list of required wording to be placed on U.S. coins, perhaps an unintended omission, both Congress and the public nevertheless wanted it there. The motto was restored (it was on the previous Liberty Head type) later in 1908 by Congressional action, which brought the double eagle into compliance with the Act of March 3, 1865, the original mandate for the text. There was one more significant modification of the double eagle before President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ended circulating gold coinage in 1933. In 1912 the number of stars encircling Liberty on the obverse was increased from 46 to 48, marking the addition of New Mexico and Arizona to the Union. Most double eagles minted after 1928 were stored by the Treasury, not released into circulation. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102 of April 5, 1933, stated: “I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America É do hereby prohibit the hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States by individuals, partnerships, associations and corporations É” Individuals were ordered to deliver gold coins, bullion, and gold certificates ...'); document.write(''); document.write('

Gold Eagle Bullion, 1986-Present
'); document.write(' Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries Description: The production of gold coins for circulation ended in 1933, and many of the coins from the final years were melted following President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102 of April 5, 1933. The purpose of the Order was broadly outlined: “I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America É do hereby prohibit the hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States by individuals, partnerships, associations and corporations É”. Individuals were ordered to deliver gold coins, bullion, and gold certificates to a Federal Reserve bank or branch by May 1 of that year. There were exceptions for ordinary citizens: jewelers and artists could have “such amount of gold as may be required for legitimate and customary use”, anyone could retain “gold coin and gold certificates in an amount not exceeding in the aggregate $100.00 belonging to any one person”, and collectors could keep gold coins considered “rare and unusual.” Apparently only one individual was indicted under the terms of the order, a New York attorney who escaped prosecution on technical grounds but nevertheless saw his 5,000 ounces of gold confiscated. By the mid-1980s world demand for citizen ownership of silver and gold was growing. Responding to the production and sale of silver and gold coins by other countri...'); document.write(''); document.write(''); document.write('

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