Mint State Gold

Silver will see a resurgence in demand this year from rural Indians spending cash handouts from the government designed . . . .

 

American Eagle coins were issued following the signing of the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985 by then President Reagan. In response to the sanctions imposed against apartheid South Africa, and the resulting decline in sales of the popular gold Krugerrand, the Gold Bullion Coin Act legislation gave the U.S. an opportunity to create a bullion coin of their own as a replacement.

 

The American Gold Eagle would be the first gold coin issued by the U.S. in 50 years. Released by the United States Mint in 1986, the act also stipulated that all coins be minted from newly mined domestic sources of gold.

 

The image on the coin’s obverse would be the design of one the most distinguished American sculptors and monument builders of his time, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens is also notable for his design of the $10 Indian Head Gold coin. The family of eagles in a nest of olive branches on the coin’s reverse was designed in 1986 by American sculptor Miley Tucker-Frost.

 

Since its introduction in 1986, American Eagle coins has been issued for every subsequent year. The coin has become one of the most popular sovereign coins for collectors and investors. Mint State Gold has proudly assisted Collectors and Investors alike for decades as we have been one of the world’s largest market makers in American Eagle coins.

 

Based on our research and client experiences at Mint State Gold by Stuppler, this is what you may expect when you purchase an American Eagle:

 

• A coin of high liquidity – among the best on the market – and reliably easy to trade
• A choice of coins in all four precious metals
• A choice of different strike types (Business, Proof, and Burnished)
• American Eagle coins are currently minted at the West Point Mint in West Point, New York
• A coin recognized as legal tender – though the coin’s intrinsic value will always be greater than its face value
• A guarantee by the U.S. government that each coin includes the amount of actual gold weight, in Troy ounces, on the back of the coin
• The 1907 design created by American sculptor August Saint Gaudens on the coin’s obverse from the original Saint Gaudens coin
• On the reverse, a stunning design of a proud eagle by the U.S. Mint’s Chief Engraver, John M. Mercanti
• Coins available in 1/10 of an ounce, 1/4 of an ounce, 1/2 of an ounce, and 1 ounce denominations
• A coin that generally sells at higher premiums than bars or rounds
• A coin that continues to be popular year after year
• Available as Bullion, Bullion Plus, and Investment grade

 

 

At Mint State Gold by Stuppler we find that American Eagle coins are ideal for modern collectors and investors building sets or just adding to their bullion holdings of precious metals. It is also IRA Eligible and give clients an excellent option to help diversify their retirement holdings.

 

American Eagle Coins Specifications

 

Gold and Silver Eagles

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold	Silver
Purity	22 Karats	22 Karats	22 Karats	22 Karats	99.9%
Year(s) Minted	1986 to Present	1986 to Present	1986 to Present	1986 to Present	1986 to Present
Where Minted	West Point	West Point	West Point	West Point	West Point/San Francisco
Composition	1oz Gold, 0.032oz Silver, 0.058oz Copper	0.5oz Gold, 0.016oz Silver, 0.029oz Copper	0.25oz Gold, 0.008oz Silver, 0.014oz Copper	0.1oz Gold, 0.0032oz Silver, 0.0058oz Copper	1oz Silver
Total Weight	1.09 troy oz	0.55 troy oz	0.27 troy oz	0.109 troy oz	1 troy oz
Denomination	$50	$25	$10	$5	$1
Thickness	2.87 mm	2.24 mm	1.83 mm	1.19 mm	2.98 mm
Diameter	32.7 mm	27 mm	22 mm	16.5 mm	40.6 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished

 

Platinum and Palladium Eagles

Metal(s) Produced	Platinum	Platinum	Platinum	Platinum	Palladium
Purity	99.95%	99.95%	99.95%	99.95%	99.95%
Year(s) Minted	1997 to Present	1997 to 2008	1997 to 2008	1997 to 2008	2017 to Present
Where Minted	West Point/Philadelphia	West Point/Philadelphia	West Point/Philadelphia	West Point/Philadelphia	Philadelphia
Composition	1oz Platinum	1/2oz Platinum	1/4oz Platinum	1/10oz Platinum	1oz Palladium
Total Weight	1 troy oz	1/2 troy oz	1/4 troy oz	1/10 troy oz	1 troy oz
Denomination	$100	$50	$25	$10	$25
Thickness	2.5 mm	1.75 mm	1.32 mm	0.94 mm	2.5 mm
Diameter	32.7 mm	27 mm	22 mm	16.5 mm	34.1
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Business/ Proof

 

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The American Buffalo Gold has the distinction of being the first 24-karat (.9999 pure gold) and purest gold coin produced in the United States. When the coin was issued in 2006, it met with great success.

 

The coin’s classic design was taken from a previous minting as it appeared in 1913. The iconic relief was created by American sculptor James Earle Fraser, who may be better known for his famous End of the Trail sculpture depicting a Native American man hunched despairingly over his horse (a rendering was notably featured on The Beach Boys album cover for Surf’s Up). On the coin’s obverse is the head of an Indian Chief believed to have been rendered based on the faces of three different chiefs from the early 20^th century. The coin’s reverse displays an image of the magnificent bison “Black Diamond” from New York’s Central Park Zoo that Fraser had used as a model.

 

Over the years the American Buffalo Gold has been one of the top three in-demand gold coins and is highly sought after by both bullion investors and collectors alike. The coin’s high purity makes it an attractive choice for those looking to strengthen their gold portfolio. Released 20 years after the debut of the American Gold Eagle, the Gold Buffalo coin offers a great opportunity for investors and collectors to build quality sets in any or all of the strike types.

 

More specifics about the American Buffalo Gold:

• Over the years about 2 million ounces of Gold Buffalo coin have been produced.
• The American Buffalo is a coin that’s reliably easy to trade
• The coin was issued to compete with other foreign 24-karat gold bullion coins
• Fractional sizes were available in 2008 only; these coins were issued to commemorate the date 8-8-08 and were a specially-packaged Double Prosperity Set which featured a 1/2 ounce Gold Buffalo coin; only 7,751 of these sets were made
• Be aware that copy “cladded” or “plated” versions of the Gold Buffalo coin were issued by private mints for sale on television; they were not bullion coins issued by the U.S. Mint and they are not the same diameter as genuine coins. They are purely replicas made by private mints with less then. 0.01% the gold content.

 

Though not produced for as long as the American Eagle, the American Buffalo Gold has shown to be a popular coin across the world. To learn more about the American Buffalo Gold and see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

 

American Buffalo Gold Specifications

 

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	24 Karats	24 Karats	24 Karats	24 Karats
Year(s) Minted	2006 to Present	2008	2008	2008
Where Minted	West Point	West Point	West Point	West Point
Composition	1oz Gold	1/2oz Gold	1/4oz Gold	1/10oz Gold
Total Weight	1 troy ounce	1/2 troy oz	1/4 troy oz	1/10 troy oz
Denomination	$50	$25	$10	$5
Thickness	2.95 mm	2.24 mm	1.83 mm	1.19 mm
Diameter	32.7 mm	27 mm	22 mm	16.5 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof/ Burnished	Proof/ Burnished	Proof/ Burnished	Proof/ Burnished

 

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The Saint Gaudens Double Eagle is generally considered one of the most beautiful coins ever created. It is known as the Double Eagle for its gold content which is twice that of the $10 Eagle (about 1/2oz of gold), this makes $20 Saint Gaudens coin almost one ounce of pure gold.

 

Like the Morgan Silver Dollar, the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle has the distinction of sharing its name of the coin’s designer, in this case Irish-born American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Other notable accomplishments of Saint-Gaudens include the $10 Indian Head Gold coin and the equestrian statue of William Tecumseh Sherman standing in New York’s Central Park.

 

The Saint Gaudens coin was produced by the U.S. Mint from 1907 to 1933 and features quite an illustrious history:

In an effort to raise the aesthetic quality of American coinage, in 1904 the president Theodore Roosevelt sought out the young designer Saint-Gaudens, much to the consternation of the Mint’s Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber; thus increasing a conflict between Saint-Gaudens and Barber, who’d already shared a contentious history. Legend was that Barber owed his position to his father, the previous Chief Engraver, and saw the talented younger designers thriving under him as threats. As the story goes, much conflict of egos and claims of undeserved merit would plague his career. Revisionists have argued that both Saint-Gaudens and Charles Barber were talents in their own right but just couldn’t find an effective way of communicating. The competitive friction between the two men would be short-lived – before the coin was issued, Saint-Gaudens would die suddenly in 1907 from colon cancer. The coin would be finalized without him.

 

Other changes: The motto In God We Trust was omitted from the original design at President Roosevelt’s request. Because of his traditional understanding of scripture, Roosevelt believed that adding the word God to money was sacrilege. An act of Congress in mid-1908 as a response to a flurry of citizens’ complaints reversed the omission. The word was added but not before one and a half years of coinage and almost five million coins were struck without the motto. After, many of the original production were lost due to meltings following the nation’s abandonment of the Gold Standard.

 

The Saint Gaudens Double Eagle would go on to be not only one of the world’s most famous coins, but also one that today occupies two places in the world’s Top 5 Most Expensive Coins Sold at Auction.

 

The Gold $20 Saint Gaudens coin gives everyone from bullion investors to high-end collectors an opportunity to add a substantial collectible coin to their portfolio. Historically, this coin has been in such demand that many of the investment quality and rare coins acquired by our clients have shown on average double digit returns on investment!

 

Other notable features of the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle:

 

• A coin also referred to as a Double Eagle was minted from 1849-1907 with a personification of Liberty on the obverse and an eagle and shield on the reverse; it was designed by James B. Longacre and was the coin Roosevelt sought to replace with Saint-Gaudens’ design
• The Saint Gaudens coin is the number one collected and invested series in Pre-Modern Gold Coins today
• At the request of President Roosevelt, who’d been impressed by coins of Alexander the Great, coins with a high relief were struck; a limited number of coins were produced as such coins are difficult to stack and subject to damage and technically difficult to produce on a mass scale; Charles E. Barber, the Mint engraver, insisted on a lower relief version and so high relief was replaced with a “business issue”
• Other variations included the use of Roman numerals with the first issues in 1907 – this would change later that year to Arabic numerals; also, when New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912, the number of stars along the rim was increased from 46 to 48
• Roman numerals were returned for the mintage of American Gold Eagles in 1986 -1991; these are the only instances of Roman numerals on U.S. coinage
• In 1986, the U.S. Treasury again used Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty design on the obverse of American Gold Eagle gold bullion coins, where it has since remained

 

Mint State Gold proudly offers our clients a comprehensive selection of $20 Saint Gaudens coins graded by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) – two leading industry bodies whose standards are universally accepted. We also have beautiful ungraded coins in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) and AU (About Uncirculated) condition.

 

To learn more about the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle and see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to assist you anyway we can.

 

Saint Gaudens Double Eagle Specifications

Metal(s) Produced	Gold
Purity	90% Gold and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1907 to 1933
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Denver/ San Francisco
Composition	0.9675oz AGW and 0.1075oz Copper
Total Weight	1.075 troy oz
Denomination	$20
Thickness	2.41 mm
Diameter	34.1 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business / Proof

 

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The legacy of the American Liberty coins begin with the birth of U.S. coinage: And like much of history, accounts can vary. Possibly the most reliable version of the story begins with the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. His proposal for a mint and coinage system in 1791 planned for both a gold and silver dollar coin. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin also contributed research and input toward these early coins.

 

Until the introduction of a U.S. currency, trades were made for goods such as tobacco, or with foreign coins. When Washington tossed his legendary silver dollar across the Potamac, dollars didn’t exist. (More likely the coin was a Spanish 8 Reales.)

 

Hamilton’s plans for new U.S. coinage included a profile of President George Washington. For his part, Washington thought putting his image on a coin was something more befitting a monarchy than a republic. Instead, an allegorical image of Liberty was chosen. Plans included a $1 Dollar coin to be produced in gold and silver but congress only authorized the Silver Dollar.

 

The first Liberty coins struck in 1793 and were not to be gold or silver but copper. The use of precious metals was delayed because of a failure to secure the necessary $10,000 performance bonds. (Imagine the difficulties of funding a country without a currency.) It’d be two more years before the first gold coins were produced but no gold dollars until 1831. At the time, they were produced by a private mint in North Carolina.

 

Other features of the American Liberty coins:

• Minted between 1849 and 1907, the coins were produced in three slight variations across the five mints operating at the time: Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson City, and Denver
• The illustrious $20 Liberty Gold coin is one of the top three selling Pre-Modern gold coins collected today along with Saint Gaudens coin and the Peace Dollar.
• The coin’s obverse was designed by the 4^th Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1844-1869, James Barton Longacre; under Longacre’s direction the Mint was infamous for its number of blunders including coins with double dates, superimposed horizontal numbers – Longacre was known to have conflicts with his staff and work was often done without his consult
• The obverse image of Liberty was inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman sculpture Crouching Venus; the coin depicts a left-facing Lady Liberty wearing a pearl-studded diadem inscribed with the word LIBERTY
• The reverse is modeled after the Great Seal of the U.S. featuring a heraldic eagle with a striped shield on its breast and 13 stars resting above representing the original colonies

 

Due to the wide range of sizes and years minted of the American Gold Liberty, many of these pieces have seen excellent appreciation in the long run as well as recent years.

 

To learn more about the American Liberty Coins and see how it would be able to fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

Liberty Coins Specifications

 

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1849-1907	1838-1907	1839-1908	1840-1907	1849-1889
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Charlotee/ Dahlonega, New Orleans/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Charlotte/ Dahlonego, New Orleans/ San Francisco
Composition	0.9675oz AGW and 0.1075oz Copper	0.48375 AGW and 0.053 Copper	0.2419 AGW and 0.027 Copper	0.1209 AGW and 0.013 Copper	0.0483 AGW and 0.0055 Copper
Total Weight	1.075 troy oz	0.537 troy oz	0.269 troy oz	0.134 troy oz	0.0538 troy oz
Denomination	$20	$10	$5	$2.50	$1
Thickness	2.41 mm	2.03 mm	1.59 mm	1.27 mm	0.76 mm
Diameter	34 mm	27 mm	21.6 mm	18 mm	13 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof

 

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The Morgan Dollar, taking its name from George T. Morgan, the British-born seventh Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint who designed was the coin’s designer. Determined to choose a face for his coin that looked “American” and not like the Greek figures often used at the time, Morgan found what he was looking for in the person of a Philadelphia school teacher, a face Morgan described as the most perfect he had seen in England or America. The model, Anna Willess Williams, took on the role only reluctantly. Later she would claim that it was a decision she’d regret for the rest of her life.

 

Minted from 1878 to 1904, and then again in 1921, the Morgan Silver Dollar was the first silver coin to be produced after the halt of all silver coinage in 1873 as the country shifted to a Gold Standard. Silver mining interests had lobbied successfully for the unlimited free coinage of silver. At the time, critics and gold advocates feared a such a policy could lead to hyperinflation and economic disaster. A compromise was reached and a return to bimetal minting system came with the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. This required the U.S. Treasury to acquire quantities of silver to be minted into dollars at a rate of $2-$4 million monthly (an equivalent of about $100 million today depending on current silver value).

 

As a result, Morgan Silver Dollars were minted in the tens to hundreds of thousands, depending on year, to over 44 million in 1921. Availability of some vintage years are impacted by loss through melting – the Pittman Act required the destruction of 270 million (mostly Morgan) silver dollars – a volume of coins, it was claimed, that if stacked on one on top of each other, would form a tower over 400 miles in the sky. As a result, the coin would endure some years of scarcity which in turn influences rarity, condition, and the value of available coins. Also, quality and condition could also be affected by minting provenience. As the Morgan was minted across locations and years to varying affect, the quality, quantity, and value varies widely by year and mint.

 

Each mint may have its own unique traits and strike characteristics. These differences can make particular coins unusual, rare, and collectible.

 

Other features of the Morgan Dollar:

• Morgan Dollars were issued from five different mints: Philadelphia, Carson City, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Denver. A short collection involves assembling one Morgan Silver Dollar from each of the five mints
• Die work and striking quality may vary with mint and issue
• Surface appearances such as strike character, relief, and finish may also vary by mint
• Contemporary difficulties in transportation and handling affected condition in certain circumstances – e.g. a lack of access to railways resulted in certain Carson City dollars being heavily bagmarked.
• For the issues of 1878, the reverse side image featured an eagle carrying an olive brand and arrows – versions exist with both eight feathers and seven
• Morgan Dollars offer a variety of investment opportunities including Morgan Silver Dollar Business Strikes, Morgan Silver Dollar Rare Proofs, Morgan Silver Dollar Uncirculated, and others including mintage errors that carry a premium

 

The Morgan Dollar continues to be one of the most widely circulated forms of silver bullion today, nearly 100 years after the last minting. The Morgan Silver Dollar can offer excellent financial growth opportunities to coin investors looking to add to their coin portfolio.

 

To learn more about the Morgan Dollar and see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

 

See below for more about Morgan Dollar general specifications:

 

Morgan Dollar Coin Specifications

 

Metal(s) Produced	Silver
Purity	90% Silver and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1878-1904, and 1921
Where Minted	Carson City/ Philadelphia/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco
Composition	0.7734oz ASW and 0.0866oz Copper
Total Weight	0.86 troy oz
Denomination	$1
Thickness	3.1 mm
Diameter	38.1 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof

 

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Though it may be in the shadow of its older brother coin – the most collected U.S. coin, the Morgan Silver Dollar – the Peace Dollar is well remembered as a symbol of the United States as it rose to be a dominant force in a world newly at peace. It was also the last circulating U.S. silver dollar coin.

 

On the coins’ reverses, both the Morgan and Peace Dollars featured the avatar of the nation’s new position– peace through power: on the Morgan this would be described with the image of an eagle, wings raised, clutching both the olive branch and arrows. Arrows being the symbol of America’s strength and readiness to defend its interests, and the olive branch representing a desire for peace. The Peace Dollar depicts a pensive eagle in profile, holding only the olive branch of peace.

 

For collectors, the high relief 1921 Peace Silver Dollar as well as the modified, lower relief issues of 1922 to 1935, are popular and prized additions to their collections. Though often overlooked for the Morgan, the Peace Dollar is value-filled series that offers collectors a more accessible challenge than Morgans. The Peace Silver Dollar doesn’t have any tough-to-find rarities in circulated grades, and because of its limited production of only 10 years (no coins were struck between 1929 and 1933), the total number of coins it takes to complete a set is a more reasonable 24.

 

The Peace Dollar was designed by American sculptor Anthony de Francisci who won the honor of designing the coin in a 1921 competition despite being the youngest and most novice contestant. According to legend, his beautiful wife posed as the model for the Liberty Gold coin obverse. By winning, Francisci would best eight other prominent coin designers, all of whom already had coins of their design in U.S. mintage.

 

Following the legacy of strong demand for Morgan Dollars, the Peace Dollar would be the second most collected pre-modern silver series in the United States today.

 

Other notable features of the Peace Dollar:

• Because of its limited production, the Peace Silver Dollar have fewer dates and mints as compared to the Morgan Silver Dollar series; this makes them ideal for collectors and investors looking to build a quality set
• Beginning production in the final year of the Morgan’s mintage, 1921, the Peace Dollar would continue production until 1935
• 187 million Peace Dollars would be struck – a fraction of the Morgan’s half billion total
• The coin was first minted in high relief but due to the difficulties of striking such relief in some cases, the mint decided to lower the relief in order to mint more coins; Morgan Dollars never got a high relief treatment
• These coins are sometimes incorrectly referred to as Morgan Peace Dollars
• To compare the lettering of the Peace Dollars to the Morgan Dollars you’ll note that the Peace Dollar is slightly fuzzy while the Morgan is very sharp and clear; this occurred as a result of the use of a reducing machine, called the Janvier, for Peace Dollars in 1921; coins were struck hastily – over a million completed in the last week of that year
• Extremely rare 1922 Peace Dollars are known to exist: as proof high-reliefs, 6-8 extant, and proof low-reliefs, only 3 extant; a low-mintage 1928-P Peace Dollar commands prices much lower than might befit a mintage of over 360,000 – as an announcement was made that production quantities would be limited, many would be saved by collectors; conversely, the 1934-S dollar was not saved in great numbers and its prices for circulated specimens are generally low but mid-grade uncirculated specimens can cost into the thousands of dollars
• The Wartime Act of 1942 forced the melting of Peace Dollars and later untold millions more were melted as the price of silver shot up to over $50 an ounce in the 1980’s; the numbers of Peace Dollars in existence today is uncertain

 

High demand and a more competitive price point on many key dates in the Peace Dollars series make this an ideal coin for anyone looking to collect silver coins.

 

To learn more about the Peace Dollar and see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, contact us and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to assist you anyway we can.

 

Peace Dollar Coin Specifications 

 

Metal(s) Produced	Silver
Purity	90% Silver and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1921 to 1928 and 1934 to 1935
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Denver/ San Francisco
Composition	0.7734oz ASW and 0.0866oz Copper
Total Weight	0.86 troy oz
Denomination	$1
Thickness	3.1 mm
Diameter	38.1 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof

 

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For over 40 years the Canadian Maple Leaf bullion coin has stood as one of the most popular and recognizable bullion coins in the world. Introduced in 1979 as sanctions against South Africa affected supplies of the top selling Krugerrand. The Canadian Maple Leaf was only the second modern bullion coin produced in the world and the first to be of 99.99% pure gold. The coin was an immediate hit and quickly outsold the Krugerrand.

 

In 1982, with further advances in the refining process, a .9999% pure coin was introduced. Soon after, the Special Edition Gold Maple Leaf Gold coins known as the “Five Nines” offered a purity of .99999%. Thought the Five Nines pure coins are typically more for collecting instead of for investment purposes the Canadian Mint is the world’s only mint to strike coins of this purity.

 

In addition to their fineness, Canadian Maple Leaf coins are distinguished by their unique and enhanced security measures. Among those features are newer features such as micron-precise tooling which gives the coins an ultra-precise radial line pattern and a very specific light-diffraction that makes these coins unmistakable from any other. Every characteristic of the coin is laser micro-engraved, a feature Maple Leafs share with Canada’s circulating currency coins. These features make the Maple Leaf extremely difficult to counterfeit.

 

Into the 1980’s and 1990’s, demand for the Canadian Maple Leaf continued to grow. To meet this interest, the variety of coin offerings was expanded to include different weights and sizes in a variety of precious metals. Not all metals continued in production due to various supply limitations. Even so, because Maple Leafs have remained a popular choice as investment bullion coins, they have a strong buy-back value. This is especially evident when compared to the wider range of prices typical for a coin like the Krugerrand.

 

More about the features of the Canadian Maple Leaf:

• Over the course of the Maple Leaf’s history, the obverse portrait of Elizabeth II has seen three iterations: 1979-1989, Arnold Machin's “39-year-old portrait,” 1990-2004, Dora de Pédery-Hunt's “64-year-old portrait,” and 2005-present: Susanna Blunt's “79-year-old portrait”; the exquisitely detailed image of the maple leaf on the reverse has remained unchanged
• The coins have been issued in Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium
• All gold coins are weighed three times to ensure they contain no less than the guaranteed weight – the coin is weighed as a blank, after it’s stuck, and then again when packaged; silver coins are weighed twice
• A Silver Maple Leaf coin was introduced in 1988 and is .9999% (“four nines”) pure; the standard in silver bullion is .999%
• Since its introduction, sales of  Silver Maple Leaf coins have grown consistently from 1.15 million coins in 1988 to 34.3 million in 2015; today it is second only in popularity to the American Silver Eagle bullion coin
• A Platinum Maple Leaf was also introduced in 1988 and was .9995% pure platinum; it was issued annually in several denominations until discontinued in 2002; a 1 ounce version of the platinum bullion coin was reintroduced in 2009 with a purity of 999.5%
• The Palladium Maple Leaf was introduced in 2005 and produced until 2007; it was issued again only for 2009 and then reintroduced again in 2015; the palladium coins have a purity of .9995%
• A coin with a $1 million face value was introduced and would be the world’s largest gold coin at a weight of 100 kg

 

It’s important to note that depending on the year of production it’s possible to find a Gold Maple Leaf in different purities ranging from .999 fine, .9999 fine, to .99999 fine. Please be aware that although .9999 fine is the industry standard now, most buyers who purchase older .999 fine Maple Leafs may see wider differences in value when reselling. It’s for this reason that we at Mint State Gold recommend only the purchase of Maple Leafs at a purity of .9999% or finer to all of our gold bullion buyers.

 

To learn more about the Canadian Maple Leaf and see how it could be an excellent fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

 

Canadian Maple Leaf Coin Specifications

Gold Specifications:

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	24 Karat	24 Karat	24 Karat	24 Karat	24 Karat
Year(s) Minted	1979 to Present	1986 to Present	1982 to Present	1982 to Present	1993 to Present
Where Minted	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint
Composition	1oz Gold	0.5oz Gold	0.25oz Gold	0.01oz Gold	0.005oz Gold
Total Weight	1 troy oz	0.5 troy oz	0.25 troy oz	0.01 troy oz	0.005 troy oz
Denomination	$50	$20	$10.00	$5	$1
Thickness	2.8 mm	2.23 mm	1.7 mm	1.22 mm	0.92 mm
Diameter	30 mm	25 mm	20 mm	16 mm	13.9 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof

 

 

Silver, Platinum, and Palladium Coin Specifications:

Metal(s) Produced	Silver	Platinum	Palladium
Purity	99.99% Silver	99.95%	99.95%
Year(s) Minted	1988 to Present	1988 to Present	2005-2010, and2015
Where Minted	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint	Royal Canadian Mint
Composition	1oz Silver	1oz Platinum	1oz Palladium
Total Weight	1 troy oz	1 troy oz	1 troy oz
Denomination	$5	$50	$50
Thickness	3.29 mm	2.62 mm	2.87 mm
Diameter	37.97 mm	30 mm	33 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof	Business	Business

 

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The first South African Krugerrand one ounce coins were struck in 1967 and it was an instant hit. The first run of 40,000 coins were quickly supplemented with an additional 10,000 special edition proofs targeted to collectors. Since then, over 54 million units of this of Bullion Coins have been produced at the South African mint. Although it's demand has dropped substantially over the decades compared to the now more in demand coins such as the American Gold Eagle, Gold Maple Leaf, and Gold Buffalo Coin, it's still known to be the oldest modern bullion coin produced.

 

Even today only the now far less popular Krugerrand can still make these claims:

• The world’s most produced modern bullion coin
• The world’s most recognized gold bullion brand (I.E. Movies and Marketing released in the 1970's to 1990's)
• The world’s first legal tender gold bullion coin to gain worldwide use

 

More than any other gold investment, the South African Krugerrand was the coin that inspired global interest in private ownership of gold bullion. Until the Gold Maple Leaf was issued in 1979, the Krugerrand was the only bullion investment coin available in the world market. In 1980, while South Africa’s gold mines accounted for 75% of the Western world’s total gold output, the Krugerrand accounted for 90% of the private gold market. 1980 was also the year when the Krugerrand introduced other sizes to its offerings: the 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce, and 1/10 ounce gold coins.

 

Not until the introduction of the U.S. American Eagle in 1986, and with sanctions imposed on apartheid South Africa, did the Krugerrand fall from its rank as world’s top selling Gold Bullion Coin.

 

The Silver, Platinum, and 50-ounce Gold Flagship South African Krugerrands: In 2017, in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Krugerrand, the South African Mint introduced the Silver Krugerrand and Platinum Krugerrand:

• The mintage for the silver Krugerrand was one million units plus a limited quantity of proof strikes for collectors
• The Platinum mintage of 1 ounce coins at .9999% purity had only 2,017 pieces produced
• A flagship offering is a limited edition 50-ounce gold coin‚ 50 times larger than the standard Krugerrand; only 55 coins were issued for purchase

 

The dies for the Silver Krugerrand were digitally enhanced with innovative laser-etching technology not available when the coin was originally minted in 1967. The technology allows for razor-sharp detail, highlights, and shading not seen on any Krugerrand coin previously.

 

Although the mint had previously released a higher-premium “K-Rand” in silver for 2017 targeted for collectors, the 2018 issue is the first coin available at a low bullion premium. This is the first year the coin has been offered as a Brilliant Uncirculated Silver coin. Created from the original gold Krugerrand design, the coin was struck in one full ounce of .999 fine silver. The South African Mint created the 1 ounce silver bullion coin as an opportunity for investors to enjoy an affordable investment vehicle also tied to the great Krugerrand legacy.

 

More features of South African Krugerrand Coins:

• The 22 karat Gold Krugerrand is minted in a copper-gold alloy that is more durable than pure gold; the mix of 91.67% gold bullion with the copper alloy gives the South African Krugerrand its unique orange-gold color tone
• In 2018 the South African Mint released the business strike version of the coin in higher mintages
• Since its introduction in 1967, Krugerrands have been struck every year with occasional slight variations in diameter and thickness
• In the minting process for the Silver Krugerrand, each coin is hand positioned and pressed several times at a lower weight, allowing for an immaculate transfer of detail and ensuring a spectacular gloss for every coin struck
• For its 2017 mintage, for the first and only time a Krugerrand was issued in silver proof and bore a special 50th anniversary mint-mark
• The total value of Krugerrands produced to date is well over $70 billion at today’s values

 

To learn more about the South African Krugerrand and to see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you. Our mission at Mint State Gold is to provide our clients with the best possible information and to strive to offer the best opportunities for adding to your precious metal holdings.

 

South African Krugerrand Coin Specifications

 

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold	Silver
Purity	22 Karat	22 Karat	22 Karat	22 Karat	99.9%
Year(s) Minted	1967 to Present	1980 to Present	1980 to Present	1980 to Present	2017 to Present
Where Minted	South African Mint	South African Mint	South African Mint	South African Mint	South African Mint
Composition	1oz Gold and 0.09oz Copper	0.5oz Gold and 0.045oz Copper	0.25oz Gold and 0.02oz Copper	0.01oz Gold and 0.009oz Copper	1oz Silver
Total Weight	1.09 troy oz	0.55 troy oz	0.27 troy oz	0.109 troy oz	1 troy oz
Denomination	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Thickness	2.84 mm	2.2 mm	1.9 mm	1.35 mm	2.84 mm
Diameter	32.8 mm	27 mm	22 mm	16.6 mm	38.7 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof

 

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As the last Liberty Head coin was produced in 1908, the American Indian Head coin was to be its replacement. Though, the coin that it would eventually come to be was something other than was originally intended: commissioned by Theodore Roosevelt to be more in a style reminiscent of ancient coins struck by the Greeks and Romans, the image of an Indian was used – an ironic choice given the President’s famous animosity toward the country’s indigenous people.

 

Though images of Indians had been used on coins before, the Indian Head Gold coin is said to be the first image fashioned after actual Native Americans. Earlier representations had not reflected the ethnology of their subjects at all. Such is the legend of the Indian Cent which was said to have been modeled on images of Caucasian women in a war bonnet.

 

As with the Liberty Gold coin before it, the American Indian Head coin was also designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The new coins would be issued in smaller sizes including four gold pieces and a cent. Only two were issued, the $2.5 and $5 sizes. When Saint-Gaudens died of cancer in 1907 before completing all of the coins, sculptor and former student of his, Bela Lyon Pratt, was engaged to finish the coins in a rush. In an unusual circumstance, changes would be made without congressional authorization. Mint officials assumed that, like all previous coins minted, that whatever design was selected for the Double Eagle, it’d be fitted into a scaled-down for the three lower denominations – such would not be the case. President Roosevelt’s desire was that the Eagle and Double Eagle would bear different designs, something never done before.

 

At Mint State Gold by Stuppler we will often recommend the $2.50 Indian Head Gold coin AKA Quarter Eagle Gold coin to new clients as an accessible entry point into collecting gold coins. Depending on year and grade, coins may be priced as low as $300.

 

More about the features of the American Indian Head:

• The $2.50 Indian Head Gold coin were produced intermittently from 1908 through 1929; some 15 different varieties were coined
• The $10 Indian Head Gold coin was struck by the U.S. Mint continuously from 1907 until 1916, then irregularly until 1933
• The scarcest of the coins produced was the 1911-D, of which just 55,680 were minted, the only issue to be produced in a quantity of fewer than several hundred thousand pieces; choice Uncirculated Indian Quarter Eagles Gold coins are hard to find, particularly among the earlier dates; due to the nature of its design, even a small amount of handling tended to cause nicks and marks on the surface
• The Indian Quarter Eagle Gold and Half Eagle Gold represented an innovation in American coinage; the designs were incuse or inset in the surface – the field of the coin, the part of the face that’s normally lowest, became the highest; incusing was a method used in ancient times and had never before been utilized in circulating U.S. issues
• Extremely valuable versions of the coins include the 1909 Indian, highly prized and sought out regardless of the condition – because of its rarity even some of the worst preserved pieces sell for more than $3,000; also, the 1929 Indian is also very rare and tends to sell high regardless of condition

 

You may find a variety of mintage years and locations currently available on the Mint State Gold by Stuppler website.

 

Because so few of these coins were minted, they tend to be highly sought after. Even for coins in poor condition, they’re still quite popular among collectors and investors alike. Because of this scarcity, even coins in poor condition – common among circulated coins – are still highly prized and in demand among collectors. Mint State Gold is always looking for these sought-after pieces given that we are one of the worlds largest market makers not only in this series, but several other of the largest series traded today as well.

 

To learn more about the American Indian Head and see how it could be an excellent fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

 

American Indian Head Coin Specifications:

 

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1907-1933	1908-1929	1908-1929
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia & Denver
Composition	0.48375 AGW and 0.053 Copper	0.2419 AGW and 0.027 Copper	0.1209 AGW and 0.013 Copper
Total Weight	0.537 troy oz	0.269 troy oz	0.134 troy oz
Denomination	$10.00	$5	$2.5
Thickness	2.03 mm	1.59 mm	1.27 mm
Diameter	27 mm	21.6 mm	18 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business / Proof	Business / Proof	Business / Proof

 

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