Platinum American Eagles For Collecting And Investing

By Gerald Hampton

Made available to the public in'97, by the U. S. Mint was the American Platinum Eagles, the official coin of the United States. The coin contains. 9995 platinum. The sizes for sale include 1/10, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 troy ounce. Backed the by U. S. Mint, Congress also sanctioned the coin.

Coin collectors can buy uncirculated coins called proof coins. The proof coins have graphics that change each year.

From'07 to'33 the graphic created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens was selected for use on the $20 gold piece.'86 saw the resurrection of the graphic for the coins. Available in bullion and proof, these coins can be purchased by anyone. Also shown on some coins is Walking Liberty design by Adolph A. Weinman. Created originally in'16, the graphic was used on the half dollar.

From'98 to 2002 the proof styles of the American Platinum Eagle used designs from the Vistas of Liberty program. As always, the bald eagle appeared on each but with each year, the eagle was shown to be in a different area of the United States. Then came the three year series that ran from 2006 to 2008. The designs were known as the The Foundations of Democracy and represented the branches of government. Each denomination has the yearly design on it. These are the only U. S. Bullion coins that change reverse designs each year.

Other proof types of coins are available through the United States Mint. A special process is required for these coins that starts with blank coins being inserted into presses that have certain pigments in them. After being hit a couple of times to make the frosted attribute seem to glide over a mirror type field. The coins are then inspected, sealed in plastic and placed in frames with their respective Certificate of Authenticity. The U. S. Mint guarantees that each and every coin will be exactly the same.

The United States Mint decided to add another American Eagle family to the coin collection in 2006. These are the uncirculated coins.

The uncirculated coins come in one size only, one troy ounce. All the other American Eagle Uncirculated Coins can be purchased in different sizes.

These coins are put through the exact same process as proof coins are but, they are stamped with a W. The W shows that the coin was minted at the West Point location.

American Platinum Eagle coins can be put in Individual Retirement Accounts because in some cases, they might be considered a commodity and not a rare coin. In general, rare coins or dolls are not allowed to placed in an account such as an I. R. A. Because of this, it is believed that coin will not gain value other than the increase of the metal content itself. - 31899

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here