Information about all type of US gold coins. We buy and sell Gold, Gold Coins. US Gold Coin Investments is one of the largest gold coin dealers in the United States specializing in Gold Coins.
The story of American gold coins begins with gold itself. Gold was one of the first elements discovered by Man, thanks to its distinctive, yellow color and metallic luster. Gold is a relatively inert metal, meaning that natural deposits enjoy a high level of purity. Gold is most commonly found mixed with quartz as veins and crystals, although other forms are known. Erosion of the earth creates what are known as placer deposits, where gold is exposed and concentrated in the form or dust, flakes, and nuggets.....More >>>
Gold has served as money or established the monetary value of currencies longer than any other material. The use of gold coins was widespread in Europe by the fourth century B.C.
The earliest coins circulated in the United States were foreign coins, mostly silver and gold, brought from Europe. The Coinage Act in 1792 established an independent monetary system with the dollar as the basic United States monetary unit containing 24-3/4 grains of fine gold, based on the world price of $19.39 a troy ounce (480 grains). Congress changed the gold specification in 1834 and again in 1837, when it set the dollar price of gold at $20.67 an ounce...More >>>
The Quarter Eagle was minted between 1796 and 1929. Early quarter eagle coins from 1796 to 1834 are rare. They include the 1796 Capped Bust to Right, no stars; the Capped Bust to Right with stars of 1796-1807; the Capped Bust to Left, large size of 1808; and the Capped Head to Left of 1821 to 1834. By 1834, the price of intrinsic gold had exceeded the face value of the coins and most were melted for a profit. In order to ameliorate this situation, the Mint issued the Classic Head Quarter Eagle in 1834...More >>>
The three dollar gold piece was authorized by the Act of February 21. 1853, First struck in 1854. the coin was never popular with the general public and saw very little circulation. Today, some numismatists theorize that the $3 denomination would have been useful for purchasing postage stamps of the day (with their face value of 3c) or for acquiring 100 silver three-cent pieces ("trimes"), which were also in circulation at the time. These gold coins changed hands in the East and Midwest until 1861...More >>>
These pattern coins (Gold Stella - Four Dollar Gold) were first suggested by John A. Kasson, then U.S. envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary. It was through the efforts of W.W. Hubbell, who patented the alloy goloid (used in making another pattern piece, the goloid metric dollar), that we have these beautiful and interesting coins.
The four-dollar Stella-so called because of the five-pointed star on the reverse-was envisioned by Kasson as America's answer to various foreign gold coins...More >>>
The half eagle was the first gold coin actually struck for the United States. The five-dollar piece was authorized to be coined by the Act of April 2, 1792, and the first type weighed 135 grains, .9167 fineness. The Act of June 28, 1834, changed the weight to 129 grains, .8992 fineness. Fineness became .900 by the Act of January 18, 1837.
There are many varieties among the early dates, caused by changes in the number of stars and style of eagle, by overdates, and by differences in the size of figures in the dates...More >>>
Gold Eagles were minted from 1795 to 1804, and then from 1838 to 1933. The gold eagles began with a plump Liberty wearing a large cap, called Capped Bust to Right, and, for the first three years, a scrawny eagle holding a wreath in its mouth. Later in the third year, the reverse was changed to a mistaken heraldic eagle. The 1838 gold eagles corrected the heraldry errors and remained without major modification until 1907. They used the familiar Coronet or Liberty Head design and showed the denomination, TEN D. The later years, from 1866 on, added a motto on a ribbon above the eagle with the inscription IN GOD WE TRUST. The final design of the gold eagles was the so called Indian Head. The first issue 1907-08 had no motto. IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the 1908 coin and continued thereafter...More >>>
LIBERTY HEAD DOUBLE EAGLE GOLD COINS (1849-1907)
Double Eagles - Aside from the World War I years, double eagles were minted from 1850 (excluding the unique 1849 pattern) to 1933. Numismatists and collectors have always been impressed with the double eagles because they contain nearly an ounce of gold and also have a numismatic premium. The first of the double eagles was designed by James B. Longacre. It had no motto and the denomination written as TWENTY D. The second of the double eagles added the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to the slightly enlarge oval of stars on the reverse. The third changed the denomination to TWENTY DOLLARS. Longacre’s Liberty Head series ended in 1907...More >>>
SAINT-GAUDENS TWENTY DOLLARS OR DOUBLE EAGLE (1907-1933): The High Relief Saint Gaudens Double Eagles have long been considered America’s most beautiful coin; however, even the low relief coins that Charles Barber modified have had lasting beauty and appeal. The modern Gold American Eagle bullion program uses a modification of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle low relief design, and it is exceedingly popular with investors as a replacement for the Union of South Africa Krugerrand...More >>>
Gold and Gold Coins In The News - Articles on Gold Coins
What is gold?
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from the Latin aurum, meaning shining dawn) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground “veins” and in alluvial deposits. It is one of the coinage metals. Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile of the known metals. Pure gold has a bright yellow color traditionally considered attractive.....More >>>