2019 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2019 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2019
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 108,000
- 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 2019 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2019 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 2019 1/4 oz bullion (38,000) 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 2019 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 108,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 30,000 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 38,000 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 195,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 14,697 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 6,365 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 9,454 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 10,613 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 17,809 | Small premium |
2019 has nine versions. The bullion coins, four sizes in all, carry no mint mark. Proofs come in four sizes with mirror fields, frosted design and a mint mark. A single burnished coin, the one ounce W, has a satin finish. The Mint sold the proofs and the burnished coin in capsules, each with a box and certificate. With bullion numbers this low, even a plain 2019 half ounce is worth a careful look at its condition. The quarter ounce proof, at 10,613, is one of the lowest of its size, so check any 2019 quarter ounce for a mirror finish.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2019 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 2019 Gold Eagles were made?
- 108,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 58,938 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2019 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 2019
2019 was the weakest bullion year of the program. The one ounce coin sold just 108,000, the lowest one ounce bullion figure from 1986 to 2024. Total bullion production came to 371,000 coins: 195,000 tenth ounce, 38,000 quarter ounce, 30,000 half ounce and the 108,000 one ounce pieces. Both the coin count and the ounces of gold were the smallest of any year. The 2019 tenth ounce, at 195,000, was the lowest for its size since 2007.
Collector numbers were low as well. Proofs sold 17,809 tenth ounce, 10,613 quarter ounce, 9,454 half ounce and 14,697 one ounce. The burnished one ounce sold 6,365. The quarter ounce proof figure was among the lowest ever for that size. The contrast with what followed is striking, because the pandemic surge of 2020 sent one ounce bullion sales up roughly sevenfold. For anyone who collects by mintage rather than by price, 2019 is one of the more interesting modern dates across the board.
2019 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 108,000 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2019. That ranks lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2019 bullion sales were 1.8 times fewer than 2018 and 6.9 times fewer than 2020.
Collector versions dated 2019 add up to 58,938 coins across 5 versions. The scarcest is the 2019-W 1 oz uncirculated (burnished) at 6,365; the most plentiful is the 2019 1/10 oz proof at 17,809.
Fractional bullion that year: 195,000 1/10 oz coins, 38,000 1/4 oz coins and 30,000 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 burnished one ounce at 6,365 is the scarcest 2019 Gold Eagle and carries a collector premium. The half ounce proof at 9,454 and quarter ounce proof at 10,613 also earn a collector premium. The 2019 half ounce bullion coin, with 30,000 struck, is the second lowest half ounce bullion figure after 1991 and can bring a collector premium in high certified grades. Spot-free surfaces and original packaging help with every collector coin of this year. Bullion tenths and one ounce coins trade near metal value.
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
Is the 2019 half ounce Gold Eagle rare?
The bullion coin is scarce at 30,000, second only to the 1991 half ounce for low bullion mintage. The proof is scarcer still at 9,454. Both are worth checking for condition.
How many 2019 one ounce Gold Eagles were sold?
108,000 bullion coins, the lowest one ounce bullion figure of any year from 1986 to 2024. There were also 14,697 proofs and 6,365 burnished W coins. No other year's one ounce bullion total came within 30,000 of that low figure.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.