2022 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2022 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2022
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 850,000
- 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 2022 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2022 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 2022 1/10 oz proof (23,712) 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 2022 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 850,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 75,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 140,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 575,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 15,819 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 8,900 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 11,876 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 14,370 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 23,712 | Small premium |
There are nine 2022 versions, all with the eagle head reverse. Bullion coins in four sizes have no mint mark and were sold through authorized purchasers. Each of the four proofs has mirror fields, frosted design and a mint mark. The burnished coin, one ounce only, combines a W mint mark with a satin finish. Proofs and the burnished coin came in capsules with boxes and certificates. Since only one reverse exists, the finish is all you need to check. The eagle head reverse makes 2022 coins easy to tell from any year up to 2020 at a glance.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2022 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 2022 Gold Eagles were made?
- 850,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 74,677 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2022 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 2022
2022 was the first full year of Jennie Norris's eagle head reverse. Every coin carries the new design, so there are no Type 1 and Type 2 versions to sort out. Bullion demand stayed high: 575,000 tenth ounce, 140,000 quarter ounce, 75,000 half ounce and 850,000 one ounce coins were sold. Total bullion production came to 1,640,000 coins, down from 1,882,000 in 2021.
Proofs sold 23,712 tenth ounce, 14,370 quarter ounce, 11,876 half ounce and 15,819 one ounce. The burnished one ounce sold 8,900, close to the 2021 figure. With the reverse change behind it, the program settled back into a nine coin lineup: four bullion sizes, four proofs and one burnished coin. That simplicity makes 2022 one of the easier recent years to identify. The half ounce proof remained the scarcest proof size, as it has been in most years. The tenth ounce bullion total was the highest since 2016. Combined proof sales were 65,777, well down on the 120,603 of the split 2021 year.
2022 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 850,000 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2022. That ranks 30th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2022 bullion sales were 1.3 times fewer than 2021 and 1.1 times fewer than 2023.
Collector versions dated 2022 add up to 74,677 coins across 5 versions. The scarcest is the 2022-W 1 oz uncirculated (burnished) at 8,900; the most plentiful is the 2022 1/10 oz proof at 23,712.
Fractional bullion that year: 575,000 1/10 oz coins, 140,000 1/4 oz coins and 75,000 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 burnished one ounce at 8,900 is the scarcest 2022 Gold Eagle and carries a collector premium. The half ounce proof at 11,876 is next and also earns a collector premium. The other proofs carry a small to collector premium depending on condition and packaging. Bullion coins trade close to metal value, since all four sizes were made in large numbers. Proofs with unbroken mirror fields and no spots are the ones to keep. Store collector coins in their capsules, away from damp. The bullion versions need no special care.
The eagle head reverse (2021 to 2024)
2021 was the 35th year of the program and the year the reverse changed. Miley Busiek's family of eagles was retired partway through the year and Jennie Norris's eagle head took its place. Coins with the old design are known as Type 1 and coins with the new one as Type 2. Both types were struck as bullion and proof in all four sizes.
That split year produced some of the lowest mintages of the period. The Type 1 half ounce proof came in at 9,741 and the Type 1 half ounce bullion coin at 31,000, while the single burnished W coin of 2021 reached 9,063. Type 1 coins are scarcer than their Type 2 counterparts in every bullion and proof size, because they were only made for part of the year. If you have a 2021 Gold Eagle, check the reverse before anything else.
Since then the eagle head has been the standard reverse and the lineup has gone back to nine coins a year. Bullion demand stayed strong in 2022 and 2023, with one ounce sales of 850,000 and 924,000, before easing to 308,000 in 2024. Burnished sales kept falling, from 8,900 in 2022 to 6,645 in 2023. Early 2024 sales ran at well under half that. Recent collector coins like these carry a collector premium, especially with original boxes and certificates.
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 there a Type 1 2022 Gold Eagle?
No. The family of eagles reverse ended in 2021, so every 2022 Gold Eagle has Jennie Norris's eagle head reverse. Type 1 and Type 2 only apply to 2021 coins.
How many 2022 one ounce Gold Eagles were made?
850,000 bullion coins, 15,819 proofs and 8,900 burnished W coins. The bullion coin trades close to metal value; the burnished coin is the scarcest. The proof sits between them in scarcity.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.