American Eagle Twenty Five Dollar Gold 1986 to Date

About This Series

Containing one-half troy ounce of gold in 22-karat (.9167 fine) alloy, the $25 American Gold Eagle occupies the middle ground in the four-denomination bullion program, offering substantial gold content at a price point between the quarter-ounce and full-ounce options. The obverse carries Augustus Saint-Gaudens' striding Liberty design — universally regarded as the finest motif in American coinage history — adapted from the original 1907 double eagle, while Miley Busiek's family of eagles reverse appears across all program denominations. Authorized by the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, the half-ounce Gold Eagle has been produced in both bullion and proof formats since the 1986 debut, with proofs struck at the West Point Mint in limited quantities that have created collectible premiums for certain vintage years. The coin contains 15.552 grams of pure gold within a total weight of 16.966 grams, with silver and copper hardening agents giving it a characteristic warm, reddish tone. Low-mintage proof years from the late 1990s and early 2000s have become particularly sought after, and the 2021 Type 2 redesign refreshed the reverse while maintaining program continuity. For investors, the half-ounce denomination provides practical divisibility without the higher per-ounce premiums of smaller fractional sizes.