2000 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2000 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2000
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 433,319
- Versions
- 8
- Metal
- 22 karat gold (91.67%)
Original illustration of the coin's size and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because metal and coin prices change daily.
What is a 2000 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2000 bullion Gold Eagle is worth its gold content: weight times the day's spot price, plus a modest dealer premium when you buy and less when you sell. Its scarcer versions are different: the 2000 1/10 oz proof (49,971) rates small premium.
Metal value = troy ounces of gold × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 2000 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 433,319 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 79,287 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 128,964 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 569,153 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 33,007 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 32,028 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 36,036 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 49,971 | Small premium |
2000 offers the standard eight versions. Bullion coins have no mint mark, a bright finish and were distributed in bulk. Proofs show a mint mark, mirror fields and frosted Liberty and eagles, sold one to a capsule inside a presentation case. As with most years, the surface is the giveaway: proofs reflect like a mirror while bullion coins show an even luster with small marks from handling. All four sizes share the same design, so size is the first thing to check. The tenth ounce measures 16.5 mm and the one ounce 32.7 mm, with the quarter and half ounce in between.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2000 Gold Eagle?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure gold: 1/10 troy ounce in the $5 coin, 1/4 troy ounce in the $10 coin, 1/2 troy ounce in the $25 coin and one troy ounce in the $50 coin. The alloy is 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper.
- How many 2000 Gold Eagles were made?
- 433,319 one ounce bullion coins plus 151,042 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2000 Gold Eagle worth more than its gold?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. Collector versions in their original packaging bring a small premium.
- Is the Gold Eagle legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($5, $10, $25 and $50), but nobody spends them: the gold is worth far more than the face value.
The Gold Eagle in 2000
Demand fell hard in 2000. One ounce bullion sales dropped to 433,319 from more than 1.5 million in 1999. The tenth ounce fell from 2,750,338 to 569,153, the quarter ounce to 128,964 and the half ounce to 79,287. Total bullion production came to 1,210,723 coins, still well above the mid 1990s but less than a quarter of the 1999 figure. In ounces of gold, sales dropped from about 2.05 million in 1999 to about 562,000, a fall of nearly three quarters.
Proofs, on the other hand, sold a little better than in 1999: 49,971 tenth ounce, 36,036 quarter ounce, 32,028 half ounce and 33,007 one ounce. A 2000 date has an obvious appeal for birth year and anniversary gifts, which helps proofs from this year find buyers easily. Proof sales slipped again in 2001, so 2000 marks a small high point between two lower years. For a finder, the main thing to know is that a 2000 coin without a mirror finish is a common bullion piece.
2000 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 433,319 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2000. That ranks 20th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2000 bullion sales were 3.5 times fewer than 1999 and 3 times the 2001 figure.
Collector versions dated 2000 add up to 151,042 coins across 4 versions. The scarcest is the 2000 1/2 oz proof at 32,028; the most plentiful is the 2000 1/10 oz proof at 49,971.
Fractional bullion that year: 569,153 1/10 oz coins, 128,964 1/4 oz coins and 79,287 1/2 oz coins. None of the fractional sizes is scarce.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Gold Eagle weighs 33.931 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.393 g (1/10 oz), 8.483 g (1/4 oz) and 16.965 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Gold is not magnetic, so a coin that sticks is not genuine. A coin that does not stick still needs the other checks.
- Look for the mint mark. Bullion strikes have none; proofs and burnished coins carry a small letter. A mirror field with frosted design means a proof, a soft satin look means burnished.
- Handle it by the edge and never clean it. Fingerprints, wiping and polishing leave marks that cost collector versions much of their premium.
- Keep the original capsule, box and certificate with collector versions. Coins that come with them are easier to sell and more likely to bring their full premium.
The half ounce proof is the scarcest 2000 Gold Eagle at 32,028, closely followed by the one ounce proof at 33,007. Proofs bring a small premium over metal value with their original box and certificate. Bullion coins trade near metal value, since all four sizes were made in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Certified top grades add a modest premium at most. Complete 2000 proofs with box and certificate are not hard to find, which keeps the premium modest. Proofs that have been handled or wiped bring less.
Arabic dates and the bullion boom (1992 to 2005)
From 1992 the date switched to ordinary numerals and the program settled into a routine of four bullion sizes and four proofs every year. Bullion demand was modest in the early and middle 1990s. The one ounce coin sold just 189,148 pieces in 1996. The quarter and half ounce sizes stayed below 100,000 every year from 1992 to 1996.
Then came the late 1990s surge. One ounce bullion sales jumped to 664,508 in 1997, 1,468,530 in 1998 and 1,505,026 in 1999, while the tenth ounce hit 2,750,338 in 1999, by far its biggest year. Worries about computer failures at the turn of the millennium are often given as one reason people stocked up on gold. In 1999 a small number of tenth and quarter ounce bullion coins were struck with unfinished proof dies and show a W mint mark, a recognized variety worth checking for.
Demand dropped almost as quickly as it had risen. The 2001 one ounce bullion coin sold only 143,605, one of the lowest one ounce totals of any year. Proof mintages drifted down across the era too, from about 41,000 to 65,000 per size in 1992 to between 23,000 and 38,000 in 2001, before recovering a little by 2005. The half ounce is usually the scarcest proof of the year in this period. Most of these proofs are plentiful enough to carry only a small premium over metal value when they're complete with box and certificate.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Gold Eagle |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | 22 karat gold (91.67%) |
| Alloy | 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper |
| Sizes | 1/10 oz ($5, 3.393 g, 16.5 mm); 1/4 oz ($10, 8.483 g, 22 mm); 1/2 oz ($25, 16.965 g, 27 mm); 1 oz ($50, 33.931 g, 32.7 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 33.931 g, 32.7 mm |
Frequently asked questions
Is a 2000 Gold Eagle rare?
No, though the proofs are scarcer than the bullion coins. The half ounce proof, at 32,028, is the lowest mintage version. Bullion coins were made in large numbers and trade close to metal value.
How many 2000 one ounce Gold Eagles were struck?
433,319 bullion coins and 33,007 proofs. That bullion figure was well down on 1999, when 1,505,026 one ounce coins were sold. The bullion coin trades close to metal value, while the proof brings a small premium.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.