American Gold

Images Provided by bestcrystal08 from ebay, the first coin dealer who agreed to share images with coinsdaily.com

After yesterday's post, perhaps you aren't shocked that the US produced a gold coin. The Gold Eagle, as it was known, was worth $10. In 1914, that would be enough to buy an expensive suit. Today, $10 will buy you lunch, but the 1/2 oz of gold in that coin would be worth $375 ...enough to buy an expensive suit.

I chose this coin because (A) I think it looks pretty cool and (B) its image has a weird twist. At first glance that would appear to be a Native American Indian, but really it isn't. If you compare it to the Peace Silver Dollar that circulated at the same time, the face is identical to lady liberty.

The back is the same, too, just click on the picture to see. As for why the engraver felt the need to put liberty in a headdress, we can only speculate. Perhaps he wanted her to look at home next to the half eagle, which showed a real Native American with a headdress?

Whatever you may think of the design, these coins didn't last very long. The final run was in 1933 and there hasn't been a gold US coin made for circulation since. Even so, they are comparatively affordable. Like most gold coins, the price is linked to the current price of gold. Unless you are looking for a rare date, you can pick up one of these coins for the cost of the gold plus about 50%.

That wraps it up for the $10 gold eagle, but make sure to check back tomorrow for a coin in a more affordable price range.