2004 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2004 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2004
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 417,019
- 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 2004 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2004 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 2004 1/4 oz bullion (72,014) 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 2004 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 417,019 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 98,040 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 72,014 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 250,016 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 28,215 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 27,330 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 28,839 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 35,131 | Small premium |
2004 has eight versions, four bullion and four proof. Bullion coins have no mint mark and a lustrous finish. Proofs have deep mirror fields, frosted design elements and a small mint mark on the obverse; they were sold individually in a capsule and case with a certificate. The 2004 half ounce bullion coin is more plentiful than in nearby years, so a plain finish half almost certainly means bullion. Hold a magnet near the coin as a quick check; real gold won't react at all. Then compare the weight with the official figure for its size.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2004 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 2004 Gold Eagles were made?
- 417,019 one ounce bullion coins plus 119,515 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2004 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 2004
2004 bullion sales looked almost identical to 2003 at the top end. The one ounce coin sold 417,019, just 987 more than the year before. The half ounce rose to 98,040, its best result since 1999, while the tenth ounce sold 250,016 and the quarter ounce 72,014. For the third year running the half ounce outsold the quarter ounce. Total bullion production came to 837,089 coins, slightly more than in 2003.
Proof sales slipped a little in every size: 35,131 tenth ounce, 28,839 quarter ounce, 27,330 half ounce and 28,215 one ounce. The program was now nearly two decades old and had settled into a steady rhythm, with eight coins each year and no new versions. That would change in 2006, when the Mint added burnished coins with a W mint mark. Until then, a Gold Eagle from these years is either a bullion coin or a proof. That keeps identification simple for anyone sorting a mixed group. Proof totals came to 119,515 across the four sizes.
2004 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 417,019 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2004. That ranks 18th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2004 bullion sales were about the same as 2003 and 1.2 times the 2005 figure.
Collector versions dated 2004 add up to 119,515 coins across 4 versions. The scarcest is the 2004 1/2 oz proof at 27,330; the most plentiful is the 2004 1/10 oz proof at 35,131.
Fractional bullion that year: 250,016 1/10 oz coins, 72,014 1/4 oz coins and 98,040 1/2 oz coins. The 1/4 oz is the scarce size of the year.
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 at 27,330 is the scarcest 2004 issue, followed by the one ounce proof at 28,215. Proofs carry a small premium in original condition and packaging. The quarter ounce bullion coin at 72,014 is the lowest bullion figure of the year but is still common enough to trade close to metal value unless certified in a top grade. For proofs, the original box and certificate add some appeal, while scratches and spots take it away. Most collectors want an untouched coin with clean fields.
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
How many 2004 half ounce Gold Eagles were made?
98,040 bullion coins and 27,330 proofs. The proof is the scarcest 2004 Gold Eagle and brings a small premium over metal value; the bullion coin trades close to its gold content.
Is a 2004 one ounce Gold Eagle worth more than its gold?
The bullion coin, with 417,019 struck, usually isn't. The proof, with 28,215 struck, carries a small premium when it still has its box and certificate. Most 2004 one ounce coins you'll see are bullion.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.