The American Eagle Silver Coins can rightfully claim a lofty place among various Americana items of interest.   For one, it has an iconic design—that of the half-dollar minted for general US circulation between 1916 and 1947.  This design has endeared itself to the American public and is considered as one of the favorites among coinage in the United States up to contemporary times.  The coin features the classic ‘Walking Liberty” rendition of Adolph A. Weinman on its obverse side and a heraldic eagle with a shield, a design by John Mercanti on its reverse side.

More than its design, however, the American Silver Eagle Coin is prized by many because it is the United States’ official silver bullion.  The US Mint first issued the Silver Eagle in November 1986.  Each coin has a nominal value of one US dollar and is struck exclusively in the 1 troy ounce denomination and contains one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver.

The minting of the Silver Eagle Coins is part of the American Eagle Bullion program authorized by the United States Congress in 1985.  This program granted the US Mint the authority to produce not only silver bullion but also gold bullion.  In 1997, minting of platinum silver eagle was added to the program.  The US government guarantees the precious metal content, weight and purity of these coins.

Proof versions of the American Eagle medallion is struck at the US Mint for collectors.  The proofs undergo a special minting process that entails feeding burnished blanks manually into presses with special dies fitted. Detailed images seemingly afloat a mirror-like surface characterizes each proof, the result of the multiple times that each coin is struck.  Meticulous manual inspection follows after they are struck otherwise they are uncirculated. After passing this quality control process, they are packed in satin-lined velvet boxes with clear plastic covers to complete an elegant presentation.   Each one carries an official certificate of authenticity from the US Mint which helps prevents production of fake coins.

The Silver Eagle medallions come out of three mints.  Those that carry the “P” mintmark are struck at the Philadelphia mint.  Those that were considered mintages of the series’ early years have the “S” mark, indicating that they were minted in San Francisco. Coins of more recent mintage were struck at the West Point, New York, and these bear the “W” mintmark on its reverse side.

It is important for collectors to understand what these mintmarks signify.  The price of the American Eagle Silver Coins may be readily determined through these marks.  This is because year-to-year mintages of the coins vary widely, and collectors usually check a standard reference book to determine the years wherein the minted coins or proofs command higher prices in dollars making them highly collectible.  In general, proofs were issued only in sets of hundred thousands, while business strikes would amount to millions of coins.

Many investors are cautious about the stock market and wish to put their money in products and assets that will withstand long-standing or sudden currency crises or economic problems in contrast to a business. One of these is a precious metal like gold and silver coins and bullion. Each gold investment is particularly suited to the profile of the investor but coins and jewelry are recommended especially for those who wish to have a generally safer and more stable investment. The question now is where does one actually go to buy and sell gold coins?

One venue where one can buy and sell gold coins is through online sites offering these services. Selling can be as easy as confirming your transaction with them via phone and sending payment through any of their authorized or preferred payment methods. Payment via US Dollar checks or electronic wire transfer may be utilized. As for delivering the gold to you, there are companies who make use of Registered Insured US mail where the costs are shouldered by the companies themselves. Armored car services may also be used at the behest of the customer, depending on whether such services are also part of the company’s offerings. If you wish to sell to them, the process is simply reversed. There are online companies stating a payment within 24 hours of receipt of the gold being sold by the customer.

The advantage of buying and selling online may be that it’s much easier to review the bidding prices since they already have a listing of it in their sites. However, for those who prefer other methods, they can also head for the auction houses or search out for coin dealers. A listing of buying and selling prices can be obtained from the different auction houses and dealers so that one can be sure of getting the best possible price for their gold coins.

For those who wish to sell their coins to dealers, one has to keep in mind that they may not be able to sell them at the highest price per ounce, unlike in online sites or in auction houses (which may also deal online) since gold coin dealers make profit from the resale of these gold coins. Obviously, the rule, as in most trading practices, is to buy low and to sell high. In buying, as well as in selling – but more in buying – one has to ensure that the gold coin dealer is a reputable one so as to avoid a bad bargain.

It may also be important to note that when it comes to buying and selling gold, rare gold coins may be harder to sell as they cost so much more. At any rate, there is plenty of advice and outlets on where exactly you can go to buy and sell gold coins.

For those who may be encountering it for the first time, the American Gold Eagle coin is an official gold bullion coin from the mint of the United States of America and is said to be a popular investment for those wishing to have a buffer against inflation. American Gold Eagles were first circulated in 1986, you could buy the design in 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, ½ (half) oz and 1 oz denominations. The market value of the coins depends on their gold content and not on their dollar face value. Sources state that the face value of US Dollars $ 5, 10, 25 and 50 are equivalent to USD$ 130, 275, 550, and 1,000 respectively. The American Gold Eagle coin contains 91.7% gold that is guaranteed by the US government. The daily value of the actual selling price is dependent on spot price of gold.

One way of finding out just how much exactly the Gold Eagle coin in your possession is worth is by calculating its dollar and cent value based on the running gold price for the day. This information can be obtained from major newspapers. Find out how much your coin is worth based on the amount of gold it contains, giving allowance for premium for delivery and handling prices. Premium could be about 10-20% on top of the price, depending on what coins you are holding. You also have to do some research and find out how much the gold price is per troy ounce. This will give you a pretty good idea of how much the American Gold Eagle coin you are holding is worth. Also if you are to sell it make sure you have proof it is genuine.

You may also look at prices offered at online auction sites. Just simply punching in the specifications of the coin in your possession can give you a price that you can take note of for comparison. However, online trading is not generally recommended because of the high value of the item being traded. Unless you know the online site to be a reputable one and their track record is excellent, you may want to just simply take the price down first for reference.

You may also go to coin dealers and ask them directly for the selling price of your coin. Or, you may also go to the government website and take a look at the list of authorized dealers where you are much more likely to be safe when it comes to obtaining price information. Experienced traders can also guide you in the valuation of your gold eagle coin.

Also check out for collector items’ pricing. If your Gold Eagle coin is a collector’s item, it could well fetch a much higher price than its gold content equivalent. Just bear in mind your gold coin’s high grade when estimating how much it is worth on the market.

Even with the sharply increased US Mint production of the American Eagle Silver Coins in 2008, the supply was unable to cope with demand and so there was an unexpected sellout in August that year.  There was a brief suspension of sales to stabilize the market, and when selling resumed, these were subjected to allocation. Still, the end result was a quick escalation of the coins’ prices in the secondary market.

Proofs of the 2008 Silver Eagle Coin were minted at the US Mint facility in West Point, New York, and thus, feature a “W” on the coin proof’s reverse. These 2008-W Silver Eagle Coin proofs stand in the third year in which uncirculated coins were offered for sale to collectors.

The 2008 proof mintage sports some other features distinctive in the Silver Eagle Coin series.  For instance, the reverse dies of the 2007 coins were used to strike a small quantity of the 2008-W Silver Eagle Coins.  This variety is known in the market as the 2008-W Silver Eagle Reverse of 2007.  As soon as collectors caught wind of such a distinction, there were strong demands and prices of these coin proofs rose quickly.

Even prior to the prize bonanza in 2008 Silver Eagles, these coins are already highly valued in the market, especially among collectors.  After all, no less than the government of the United States guarantees the weight, purity and content of the series, the only silver bullion with this type of government assurance.

Every American Silver Eagle Coin is composed of .999 fine silver, with a weight of 1.000 troy ounce for a silver content of 0.999 troy ounces.  Copper accounts for the rest of the coin’s component and is added for coin durability and better resistance to design tarnishing.  The diameter of the coin is 1.598 inches while thickness is 0.117 inches.  The Silver Eagle has a reed edge, with its obverse side featuring the “Walking Liberty” designed by Adolph A. Weinman and the reverse showing a heraldic eagle rendered by John Mercanti.

The value of your coins remains the same without reference to color. Many collect coins to commemorate great events in their lives, a kid’s graduation, a new baby or to mark historic events like the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

One thing is for certain, there is not a coin collector out there who will stop picking up because the costs have risen a little and possibly an identical quantity will consider selling their prize collection to the bidder prepared to go highest.

Memorial coins are a popular form of collection, as are not common minted coins like those which had a blunder in their stamping. If a certain set of coins does not interest you, it will not be any fun at all to become a collector.

Coin dealers will be much more likely to recognize a counterfeit coin, have a higher chance of hearing about the sale of the explicit rare coins that interest you, and will recognize an asking price that is over- or undervalued. A grade is called a shorthand designed by coin gurus ( numismatists ) to show a coin’s appearance.

Simply put, if a certain coin collector tells another collector that he owns an uncirculated Charlotte fifty half eagle, both should already have an idea of the coins appearance without even seeing it, due to the claim of its grade.

Grading can be learned, studied and applied with a predicted and known result that ultimately relies on judgment, not feelings. Like any language, science, sport, or research, it’s best to learn and understand coin grading one part at a time, thru significant study and experience.

While there are those that whinge of too many grades, most experienced coin graders recognize and appreciate the incontrovertible fact that there’s a big selection in features between ranges. This is the technique of stamping or imprinting a drawing or a symbol onto a blank. Depending on the coins design, it can either have feeble or robust strike. An example of this would be the Type II gold buck on which both sides ( front and back ) have the highest strike that is perfectly aligned, meaning, these designs need feeble strikes. Sometimes the strike isn’t a key factor in building the coins grade except when it is included in a chain where the price is attached to strike. The amount of coin marks as well as where they are placed is a major component in creating the grade.

While there’s no fixed formula on the quantity of coin marks that sets its grade, there are many controlled standards regarding the importance of the location or positioning of a scratch.

All coin dealers are not born equal, and it is almost impossible to specialise in each area when it comes to picking up rare coins. It is important to grasp what to search for before you select a pro for your coin collecting wishes. But as time rolls by, the quantity of these coins go down. Three essential guidelines here : buy what you like, buy what you are able to afford, and buy at a fair cost.

Follow this recommendation and you can enjoy your coins more, you will not pay too much for them and you will not go broke. Another common oversight is when the mint mark, the miniscule letter on most Yankee coins that indicates which mint made the coin, is missing or incorrect.

Though there are exceptions, most old coins are not especially valuable unless they are very well saved. The best place for an idea of their worth is to go to the reference section of your local library. Coin collecting for investment purposes could be a troublesome endeavor.

For example, a coin having a deep scratch that it isn’t simply plain on its reverse ( back ) side won’t be precisely penalised. However, if the same scratch was positioned on a noticeable or apparent central point on the front, for example the cheek on the Statue of Freedom , it’d be punished much more.

A coin can have a variation of textures on the surface, influenced by design, the metal that was employed and the mint of origin. Luster is significant particularly when resolving whether a coin is either circulated or uncirculated. A coin in Mint State technically ; is freed from erosion and wear and must not have heavy breaks in its luster.

This is a particularly subjective element in figuring out coin grade. As an example, a gold coin showing dark green-gold pigmentation could be repulsive to one collector and interesting to another. As gold is tolerably an inert metal, it isn’t susceptible to much color variance as copper or silver. Virtually each one of us gold coins had been dipped or cleaned, thus no longer showing their original color. As coin collectors become well informed, many of them are attracted and fascinated to coins having their natural color.

In most coin series, it is almost impossible to find out original coin pieces. Note a coin having superior eye appeal can be robust in one aspect, for example possessing exceptional luster but not quite as powerful in another aspect, for example not so good color.

A coin that is unattractive in one aspect yet ok in all of the other aspects can still be distinguished as below average in eye appeal. Understanding how to grade a coin is crucial so that one can have an idea of the price or cost of the coin that he is purchasing or selling. When new to coin picking up, be certain to ask the assistance of a seasoned collector or dealer when purchasing or exchanging your coins. When deciding which coins to gather, you must think about your interests, your position, and your ROI.

High quality coins acquired at reasonable prices will appreciate, but potentially no good or bad than other investments. This sounds right because they are the easiest to collect. These hobbyists then expand their collection to coins from increasingly further and earlier origins.

Deficiency shouldn’t be confused with overall mintage. In the silver booms, many silver coins were melted for there bullion content. As an example, during World War Two, pennies were made out of steel, because copper was required for the war effort. While there are some real gold coin fans in the Net, there are those people that are posing as gold coin collectors and are just looking to rip you off.

Always be looking out for rare gold coins, and have coins valued by a gold coin expert to avoid big variations in cost. You can get a silver locating device or a magnetic pole for finding loose coins in ditches, under automobiles, or in other hard-to-reach places. Or depend on your eyes to spot those gleaming metal circlets of potential wealth.

In the case of the American Eagle Silver Coins proofs, these were struck as part of the US Bullion Program implemented in 1986 under the authority of the United States Congress.  Also included in this program is the minting of American Gold Eagle Coins.  An American Eagle Platinum proof was added to the mintage starting 1997.

Each Silver Eagle Coin proof and the other coins minted under the bullion program are struck in a special minting process.  The method calls for having burnished coin blanks manually fed into presses with special dies fitted.  The coin blanks are struck several times, resulting in softly frosted but very detailed images.  An elegant accent is provided by encasing the coin in a velvet-lined presentation box, and topped off with a Certificate of Authenticity from the US Mint.

The American Silver Eagle Coin is also available as bullion for investors. The US Mint channels these bullion coins through its network of authorized purchasers, who create a secondary market for the public by both selling and buying the Silver Eagles.

There are several options in purchasing Silver Eagle Coins.  One is called bulk purchase, which involves buying green boxes which investors know as “Monster Boxes” containing 25 tubes or rolls of 20-coin Silver Eagle.  A green top with the US Treasury seal makes the 20-coin rolls distinctive. The bulk method usually provides the lowest premium, as opposed to an individual Silver Eagle Coin purchase which can generate the highest premium.

To be successful in investing in a coin collection, be it in bullion or proofs, you must have a familiarity of the varying mintages of the Silver Eagle Coin.   The year-to-year fluctuation in mintages since 1986 greatly influences the price levels of the bullion and coin proofs.  Collectors often make use of a standard reference book to determine the mintages. Generally, these are in the millions of coins for the businesses or bullion strikes and hundreds of thousands for the coin proofs.

It will also help to have an understanding of the mintmarks in a Silver Eagle Coin which indicate where the coin was struck.  There are three mints where Silver Eagles have been struck.  If a coin bears an “S” mintmark, it is from the San Francisco mint which produced coins early in the series.  Those coins with the “P” mark were struck in the Philadelphia mint.  Coins or proofs of more recent mintage carry the “W” on the reverse side to indicate that these were from the US Mint in West Point, New York.

These special coins will not make a little money bag feel like it weighs a ton. Instead these coins can add more worth to a coin collector’s portfolio.

The Eagle Coin can is produced in gold, silver and platinum metals. This implies that the quality on these coins is extremely high. Since the US Eagle Coin is not sold immediately to the public but in proof sets, these must be acquired at the current cost of gold and the other metals. To make the buying weight worth the same for each coin these US eagle coins have a particular weight that is standard. With these set weights you’ll be in a position to have the American Eagle Coins that you are able to add to your portfolio with no problems about its market valuation. There’s another name that is given to the American Eagle Coin. It’s also called American Eagle Bullion Coin.

The program to bring these coins out for financiers to add physical amounts of gold and silver into their investments came into being in 1986. At this time, the sole American Eagle Coins were the gold and silver eagle coins that had at one previous point been in circulation. The platinum uncirculated American Eagle Coins were brought out in1997. American Eagle Coins are easily recognizable thanks to the design on the face of the coins.

Each coin will feature the Augustus Saint-Gaudens design of  the Woman Liberty. And the costliest of these American Eagle coins are those of the gold Saint-Gaudens 1934 20 dollar pieces. The reason behind the high cost of these American Eagle coins lies in the presidential decree of 1934 that banned the use of all forms of gold bullion.

And since the 20 US Dollar American Eagle coins were made of gold they were right away recalled and melted down. Some however, escaped this destiny and survived in the world hunt by each ardent coin collector. The long and short of it though, is that it is irrelevant if you never get the opportunity to see the 1934 gold Saint-Gaudens coin. What does matter is that you learn how to correctly recognize and price the American Eagle coins that you do have in your possession and to keep them safe.

These outlets generally make the American Eagle Silver Coins purchases in bulk from the US Mint.  They get what is known in trading as the “Monster Boxes”, which are green boxes containing 25 rolls or tubes of 20-coin Silver Eagle rolls. The same boxes are sold to the investing public.  Purchases of 20-coin rolls are the most common in bulk deals which usually provide the lowest premium per coin.  Individual coin purchases can also be done, and premiums are often the highest.  These purchases are usually done by collectors who want to assemble a series with one coin for each year of mintage.

In addition to selling the Silver Eagle Coin series through dealers in a secondary market, the US Mint also directly sells coin proofs to collectors.  These so-called proofs are minted through a special process wherein each coin is struck several times to produce distinctively detailed images. In the case of Silver Eagles, it is referred to as the “Walking Liberty”, which is found on the obverse side of the coin and the classic heraldic eagle with a shield is found on the reverse side.

In order to assemble the more valuable Silver Eagle Coin collection, one must have a good knowledge of the bullion’s mintage series which vary widely over the years.  This wide mintage variation results in the wide range of prices in the American Eagle Coin series. Among those that are highly valued by collectors are the coins in 1995 during which the US Mint marked the 10th anniversary of the American Eagle Bullion Program.  To celebrate this anniversary, a special 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle was minted within the year’s Gold Eagle Proof Set, of which only 30,125 sets were sold, by far the lowest in the series.   Another special three-coin set was produced by the US Mint in 2006 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the program.  This set included a 2006-W Reverse Proof Silver Eagle, the first minting of this kind for a US coin.

The 2008 mintage is also a favorite among collectors. A 2008-W Silver Eagle Reverse coin was minted using the 2007 reverse dies.  Surging silver prices in 2008 due to shortages have likewise sent Silver Eagle prices soaring and mintage to new record levels.

Regardless of whether you’re getting your coins in an offline or an online store you should always check the merchant or establishments reliability first. Check if they have a good and clean record when it comes to dealing with clients as well as if they are properly licensed. The thing is, you would want to be sure that you aren’t getting into shady business and that everything is legit. So don’t hesitate to ask around or call the Better Business Bureau for more information. Remember, its better safe than sorry.

One of the most common problems that gold coin buyers experience would be grading. This is because different people have different ideas and ways of seeing things. For example, your idea of what an MS65 is might be different from the idea of the dealer’s. There are also gold coins that have rather big gaps when it comes to value in between grades. So to avoid this issue, its better to get the coins that have been graded by a third party as this would avoid further conflict. Remember also that grading standards change with time and as such, you would want to keep yourself up to speed.

It’s also wise to buy the rarest coin in the best possible condition in a price that you can afford. There are plenty of collector’s gold coins that can retail for the price near that of melt gold because there are plenty of them to go around. Take for example the gold with lower grades. When gold and gold coins increase in terms of value, it means that they are rare and that there aren’t many of them left. Keep in mind that when gold decrease or increase in value, the gold coins follow suit by percentage.

Lastly, it’s also important to do research and I cannot emphasize this enough. Doing so would provide you with the information and the knowledge about certain types and grades of gold. It would allow you to make better decisions and steer clear of bad ones. After all, knowledge is power and that applies perfectly in this situation.

As for price, both offline and online merchants would usually be open to negotiation so don’t be embarrassed or afraid to ask. If you want to, you can do a bit of research first and find out just how much a coin similar to one you are interested in would actually retail for. This would provide you with the information you need and help you find out if you are being given an unreasonable price or if you are getting a bargain. Buying online would actually give you more options as there are various kinds gold coins that can be found all over the world. However, as mentioned above, buying online can be a little tricky.

Another thing about online shops that don’t sit well with many coin collectors is the fact that you won’t be able to feel the coin in your hands unlike when you’re buying from an offline coin place. Experts can tell the authenticity of a coin through its weight and texture alone. But if you have to wait for the coin to arrive through mail before being able to touch it then you wouldn’t be able to judge it for yourself. However, if you find an online gold coin merchant that’s reliable and trustworthy then it makes online coin shopping that much easier because you’re confident that you are buying the real thing. So which one is better? I think both have their pros and cons but I still recommend buying coins from an offline shop. Nothing beats being able to touch and feel the coin for yourself.