2012 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2012 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2012
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 675,000
- Versions
- 9
- 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 2012 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2012 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 2012 1/2 oz bullion (43,000) 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 2012 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 675,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 43,000 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 90,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 290,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 23,630 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 5,829 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 12,809 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 13,775 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 20,740 | Small premium |
2012 has nine versions. Bullion coins in four sizes carry no mint mark and were sold through authorized purchasers. Proofs in four sizes have mirror fields with frosted relief and a mint mark. The single burnished coin is the one ounce W with a satin finish. Proofs and the burnished coin came in Mint capsules and boxes with certificates. With proof mintages this low, keep 2012 proofs in their original packaging. The quarter and half ounce proofs, at 22 mm and 27 mm, are the scarcer proof sizes this year. A loupe helps.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2012 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 2012 Gold Eagles were made?
- 675,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 76,783 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2012 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 2012
Collector sales dropped hard in 2012. Proof totals fell to 20,740 tenth ounce, 13,775 quarter ounce, 12,809 half ounce and 23,630 one ounce, roughly half the 2011 figures. The burnished one ounce sold just 5,829, the third lowest burnished total from 1986 to 2024. For collector coins, this is where the era of low mintages really begins. Proofs totaled 70,954 coins, less than half the 146,566 of 2011.
Bullion buyers cut back too, though from a high level: 675,000 one ounce, 290,000 tenth ounce, 90,000 quarter ounce and 43,000 half ounce coins. That half ounce figure was the lowest half ounce bullion total since 1996. Gold was still near its highs but the buying rush of 2008 to 2011 was fading. The quarter and half ounce proofs, at under 14,000 each, became some of the scarcest proofs the program had produced so far. They set a pattern that later years would follow and in some cases undercut. Total bullion production came to 1,098,000 coins.
2012 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 675,000 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2012. That ranks 25th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2012 bullion sales were 1.3 times fewer than 2011 and 1.1 times fewer than 2013.
Collector versions dated 2012 add up to 76,783 coins across 5 versions. The scarcest is the 2012-W 1 oz uncirculated (burnished) at 5,829; the most plentiful is the 2012 1 oz proof at 23,630.
Fractional bullion that year: 290,000 1/10 oz coins, 90,000 1/4 oz coins and 43,000 1/2 oz coins. The 1/2 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 2012 burnished one ounce at 5,829 is the scarcest issue of the year and carries a collector premium over metal value. The half ounce proof at 12,809 and quarter ounce proof at 13,775 also earn a collector premium, since they are among the lower proof mintages of the period. Bullion coins trade close to metal value; the half ounce bullion piece may bring a small premium in high certified grades. Proofs with any spotting or hazing lose much of that premium, so inspect the fields in good light.
One ounce burnished coins and shrinking proofs (2011 to 2020)
When the burnished W coin returned in 2011 it came in the one ounce size only, with 8,729 struck. Every year since has followed the same pattern. Through 2020 the burnished mintage stayed between 5,800 and 8,729, low enough that each of these coins carries a collector premium over metal value.
Proof sales fell sharply over the decade. The quarter and half ounce proofs, which sold more than 40,000 each in 2010, dropped to between about 12,700 and 15,800 from 2012 to 2015. In 2018 and 2019 the half ounce proof slipped below 10,000, with 9,961 and 9,454 struck. The 2017 one ounce proof managed just 9,245. For collectors this is the period when ordinary proofs started to become genuinely scarce.
Bullion demand swung with the gold market. One ounce sales ran from 857,000 in 2011 down to 108,000 in 2019, the lowest one ounce bullion figure of any year from 1986 to 2024. In 2020 the pandemic sent buyers back to physical gold and one ounce sales jumped to 747,500. The same year the Mint issued a one ounce proof with a V75 privy mark for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Only 1,939 were sold, the lowest figure of any Gold Eagle from 1986 to 2024. For most finders, the bullion coins of this decade trade on their gold. The burnished and low mintage proof coins are where the premiums are.
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 2012 W burnished Gold Eagles were made?
5,829, all in the one ounce size. That's one of the lowest burnished figures in the program and the scarcest 2012 Gold Eagle. It carries a collector premium over metal value.
Are 2012 Gold Eagle proofs scarce?
More than most. The half ounce proof sold 12,809 and the quarter ounce 13,775, about half of the 2011 figures. They carry a collector premium, especially in original packaging. None of them is common.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.