1/4 American Eagle Gold Coins

Quarter oz $10 American Eagle Gold Coins available from JM Bullion.








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1/4 oz American Gold Eagle - Varied Year | As Low As
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The Gold Eagle is an American classic. The ¼ oz version of it offers the same purity and design that the full-size coin promises, only in a smaller package.
¼ oz American Gold Eagle Price
No matter what kind of gold you buy or sell, the first element of its price is the spot price. Despite its definition, the spot price is the going price for a troy ounce of gold. Thus, the foundation of a ¼ oz Gold Eagle’s valuation is the spot price divided by 4.
Now, barring a special offer or short-term deal, you will never be able to buy a ¼ oz Eagle (or any other coin) at the spot price itself. Instead, with each dealer you visit, you’ll see varying prices above the spot.
The additional cost is associated with the dealer’s premium. The premium is the fee that the dealer attaches as his/her compensation for facilitating the deal. It is not a set amount but varies from dealer to dealer.
The premium on a ¼ oz American Gold Eagle is somewhere between 13.5% to - in a few cases - as high as 64% above the proportional spot price. In comparison to the premiums for other similar coins, this range is a bit higher than average. However, there is a similar pattern that emerges for 1 oz American Gold Eagles, which suggests that the American bullion coins understandably have extra cachet with the American investing community.
The upside of this additional pricing is that you are likely to get your money back and/or earn more when you decide to sell your ¼ oz American Gold Eagles. You also won’t have too much trouble finding a buyer for them, either.
Find the Lowest Price on ¼ oz American Gold Eagle
With such a wide range of premiums you might see for ¼ Eagles, you must have a gameplan for buying them as inexpensively as you can. Higher end specimens usually have something special or rare about them, but there are several strategies you can adopt to stick to the lower part of the distribution.
The first thing to do is shop around for the best deals you can find. There is a plethora of online precious metals dealers out there, and it is always smart to find the available deals. You may even be able to get a short-term deal that zooms toward the spot price.
Before you grab the lowest price, though, be sure to investigate the dealer thoroughly. While there are many reputable and honest brokers, there are others who lack either the moral standing or the experience to complete your transaction safely.
Avoid offers to buy that sink below the proportional spot price. If it seems too good to be true, it almost always is.
We would be remiss if we didn’t recommend a few sites that we have found to be aboveboard and expert in their dealings. You can make a deal comfortably with JM Bullion, Provident Metals, Silver.com, or BGASC.com. Each site has years of experience and a sterling reputation, both with the Better Business Bureau and with the customers they have served.
Once you decide on a dealer, you can turn your attention to a few approaches that will yield the lowest premium options. Here’s what to do:
- Buy circulated coins, rather than proofs or uncirculated versions. Any coin that is designated as specially-made for investors is bound to have premiums on the higher end.
- Be non-specific about the mintage year. Not all years of ¼ Gold Eagles are as coveted as others, and buying a random year coin allows the dealer to choose from his/her existing stock. Thus, there are some savings that the dealer will pass along to you if you are a bit less “demanding,” if you will.
- Buy in bulk. Like everyone with a Sam’s Club membership could attest, buying gold coins is cheapest if you do so in bulk. Though the overall price is going to be quite a bit higher than buying single coins, the per-coin cost is always going to be lower than if you buy the coins piecemeal.
Description
The ¼ Gold Eagle debuted the same year that the 1 oz Gold Eagle first appeared. In 1986, the US Mint began producing these coins as both a competitive measure and a political statement against South Africa.
At the time, the best-known and oldest bullion coin on the planet was the South African Krugerrand. The rise of other sovereign bullion coins occurred, in part, as a rebuke to South Africa’s racist apartheid system.
Since the Gold Eagle was meant to be the American version of the Krugerrand, it was minted with the same level of fine gold - 91.67%. Thus, all Gold Eagles, including the ¼ oz version, are 22-karat gold. The remainder of the coins is composed of 5.33% copper and 3% silver.
During its run, the ¼ Eagle has featured a reproduction of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty design on its obverse. This acclaimed design once traded around the country as the $20 Double Eagle, and its historical significance moved the Mint to use it for its new bullion coins in 1986.
On the reverse of the coin, the ¼ Gold Eagle features a depiction of one of America’s most recognizable sigils, the bald eagle. The ¼ Eagles minted from 1986 to 2021 had Miley Busiek’s tableau of a bald eagle family. The newer ¼ Eagles feature Jennie Norris’ closeup image of a single bald eagle.
Coin Highlights
If you are in a bit of a hurry and just need the basics on the ¼ American Gold Eagle, consult the highlights below:
- ¼ troy ounce of gold.
- .9167 fine gold.
- Face value of $10.
- Obverse features Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty design.
- Reverse features depiction of the bald eagle, either as a family or in closeup.
- One of the very few sovereign gold coins to feature silver as part of composition.
- Initially minted in response to South African Krugerrand and apartheid.
Buying Fractional Coins
The lower prices associated with buying coins with less than an ounce of gold, or fractional coins, are their biggest selling point. The lower costs make them more accessible to a wider group of people - a group that wants to invest in gold but doesn’t have the capital or budget for the full-size coin.
In truth, there’s nothing wrong with any part of that line of thought. Gold is, indeed, a great investment and one of the best ways to guard against inflation and net worth devaluation.
However, be sure to keep it in your back pocket that you are not making a truly cost-effective decision if you buy a fractional coin. Where you will pay a premium of at least 13% for the ¼ oz, you can reasonably expect to pay less than 3% for the full-size version.
To be clear, buying a 1 oz coin is a much more expensive proposition than buying a ¼ oz coin. It’s important, though, to understand what you’re giving up for the privilege of buying in the smaller weight and denomination.
Specifications
Bullion Dealers |
JM Bullion, Provident Metals, BGASC, Silver.com |
Years minted |
1986 - present |
Mint Mark |
No |
Purity |
.9167 |
Manufacturer |
US Mint |
Issuing country |
United States of America |
Diameter |
22 mm |
Thickness |
1.83 mm |
Obverse design |
Lady Liberty |
Reverse design |
Family of bald eagles (1986 - 2020) or eagle closeup (2021 - present) |
Edge design |
Reeded |
Obverse designer |
Augustus Saint-Gaudens |
Reverse designer |
Miley Busiek (1986 - 2020) / Jennie Norris (2021 - present) |
Packaging type |
Plastic flip |
Shipping costs |
JM Bullion (free over $199) |