Coin Info



US Silver Eagle Coin

One of the most popular ways for people to own gold or silver are gold and silver coins produced by mints such as the United States Mint or the Royal Canadian Mint. Such mints produce annual versions of standard gold and silver coins such as gold and silver eagles in the US and gold and silver maple leaf coins in Canada. 

For anyone new to this market sector, it is important to understand some things about the different varieties of these coins offered by the mints. Mints offer a basic standard "bullion" type coin in gold and silver every year. However, these coins are not sold directly to the public by the US Mint. There are a dozen or so "authorized purchasers" globally the US Mint will sell these coins to who the public might view as "middlemen". These authorized purchasers then sell the coins to various coin dealers at a slight markup per coin. The dealers then sell the coins directly to the public at coin shops, coin shows, and online on the internet. So, by the time the public can buy the coins, they have been marked up in price twice in most cases. This is a main reason why the coins usually carry a 5% or more premium to the spot price of gold and silver. Of course, there are also small costs per coin to mint the coins as well at the mint.

These "bullion" coins are not the only versions of the coins offered by the mints. The US Mint offers a variety of "collector versions" of the standard gold and silver coins that carry much higher premiums per coin. They do sell these collector version coins directly to the public as you can see here (gold eagle example) and here (silver eagle example). These coins have special finishes and are minted in far less quantities making them rarer than the standard finish bullion type coins. 

In some years, the US Mint will make other special collector versions of these coins with much lower mintage limits and also other specialized finishes. These types of special coins often sell out quickly on the US Mint web site and quickly rise in price on the after market in some cases for those fortunate enough to buy one from the US Mint before they sell out (which often happens in minutes for these coins). A recent example of this can be seen here. This special finish version of a 2019 silver eagle was limited to only 30,000 coins (the rarest silver eagle variety so far) and sold out at $65.95 per coin in less than 15 minutes on the US Mint web site. The next day these coins were selling easily for more than 10 times that price and still sell at a very high premium today (here are several for auction sale on Ebay). 

The point to understand here is that it is important to know which version of these coins you are buying (or selling) to be sure the price point is the correct market price point for that coin. This article covers this topic in more detail. Most people new to this arena are just looking for coins for their gold or silver content and not for special more expensive versions that experienced collectors might want. So the price point for regular bullion type coins should always be much lower than for the special version collector coins and much closer to actual gold and silver spot prices.

Below are links to several good informational articles or resources for gold and silver coins. The key for new investors is to learn as much as possible about the coin market before making any decisions so as to be able to make better informed decisions. There are many different types of these coins and people buy them for different purposes, so you want to properly match the coin to your purpose for owning it.


Understanding the US Mint Blog Article

What about those coins they sell on TV?

 Where Can You Buy Coins?

Here is a list of a few online dealers you can use for price comparison and to get a feel for the market price of gold and silver coins. The list is not an endorsement or intended as investment advice. It is intended to be a tool for comparing retail prices for gold and silver coins. Also many dealers post a buy back price for coins which can be useful information to compare prices for selling coins.


Are you someone interested in owning gold or silver but not storing them yourself? Check out One Gold


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