What one American Gold Eagle, 1 oz is worth in gold
One American Gold Eagle, 1 oz contains 1.0000 troy ounces of pure gold, from a coin weighing 33.931 grams at 917 parts per thousand. At the current benchmark that metal is worth $4,386. The benchmark behind it was set on , and every figure on this page moves with it.
| How many | Pure gold | Melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.0000 ozt | $4,386 |
| 2 | 2.0001 ozt | $8,772 |
| 5 | 5.0002 ozt | $21,932 |
| 10 | 10.00 ozt | $43,864 |
| 20 | 20.00 ozt | $87,728 |
What the coin is
A one ounce American Gold Eagle contains exactly one troy ounce of pure gold, but the coin itself weighs 33.931 grams. The extra weight is alloy: the coin is struck at 91.67% gold, which is 22 karat, with the balance in silver and copper to make it hard enough to handle without marking. The gold content is the full ounce regardless.
That is the detail people get wrong most often. Weighing a Gold Eagle on a scale and multiplying by the gold price gives a number about 9% too high, because 2.8 grams of what you weighed is not gold. The melt value is one troy ounce at spot, full stop, and the calculator on this page uses the fine gold content rather than the gross weight.
The 22 karat standard comes from the old British gold sovereign, sometimes called crown gold, and was chosen so the coin would resist scratching in a way a pure gold coin cannot. The Canadian Maple Leaf takes the opposite approach at 99.99% pure, which is why Maples mark so easily and Eagles do not.
Is it worth more than its metal?
Gold Eagles trade at a premium over spot, though a proportionally smaller one than Silver Eagles because the metal value is so much higher. A few percent over melt is normal for a common bullion year, and the premium widens when demand spikes.
Proof and burnished versions, sold directly by the mint in packaging, carry much larger premiums and are collected by date. The 1999-W issued with an unfinished proof die, struck for circulation as a bullion coin, is a well known scarce variety.
Fractional Eagles exist in half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce sizes, and their premiums per ounce of gold are considerably higher than the one ounce coin because minting costs are similar regardless of size. This page prices the one ounce coin only.
Selling it
This is the easiest precious metal item to sell that exists. A recognised, sealed one ounce Gold Eagle is bought by any bullion dealer at a small discount to spot, or occasionally above it, because they can resell it immediately without assaying or refining anything.
Ignore the payout bands shown for scrap jewellery. Those describe what happens to material that has to be tested and melted before anyone knows what is in it, and none of that applies to a sovereign bullion coin. Get two dealer quotes and take the better one.
Melt, resale and appraisal value sets out why those three numbers differ for the same object, and how we calculate shows every constant used on this page.
American Gold Eagle, 1 oz questions
How much gold is in a 1 oz American Gold Eagle?
Exactly one troy ounce of pure gold. The coin weighs 33.931 grams in total because it is 22 karat, with silver and copper making up the remaining 8.33% for durability.
Why does a 1 oz Gold Eagle weigh more than 1 oz?
Because the ounce refers to the gold content, not the coin. The alloy added to harden the coin brings the gross weight to 33.931 grams, about 9% above a troy ounce, while the pure gold inside is still exactly one ounce.
Is a Gold Eagle 24 karat?
No, it is 22 karat at 91.67% gold, following the old crown gold standard. The Canadian Maple Leaf is the 99.99% pure alternative, which is softer and marks more easily.
What premium do Gold Eagles sell for?
Commonly a few percent over the spot value of their gold for ordinary bullion years, widening when demand is strong. Proof and burnished collector versions carry substantially more.