2009 American Platinum Eagle
Every version of the 2009 Platinum Eagle with mintages, the platinum it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2009
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- None listed
- Versions
- 1
- Metal
- .9995 fine platinum
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 2009 Platinum Eagle worth?
2009 has no one ounce bullion coin in our source, so every version is a collector piece that brings a premium over its platinum value. The scarcest version, the 2009-W 1 oz proof (7,945), rates small premium.
Metal value = troy ounces of platinum × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 2009 Platinum Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($100) | 7,945 | Small premium |
There's only one 2009 Platinum Eagle: the one ounce proof with a W mint mark, $100 face value and a mintage of 7,945. It has mirror fields with frosted details and came in a capsule inside a presentation box with a certificate. The obverse still shows the Statue of Liberty. The reverse shows the four intertwined faces. A 2009 coin without a W, in a fractional size or with the soaring eagle reverse doesn't match anything the Mint made and should be examined closely. If the capsule shows cracks or haze, consider moving the coin to a fresh one of the same size.
Quick answers
- How much platinum is in a 2009 Platinum Eagle?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure platinum: one troy ounce in the $100 coin. The alloy is 99.95% platinum.
- How many 2009 Platinum Eagles were made?
- No one ounce bullion coins are listed plus 7,945 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2009 Platinum Eagle worth more than its platinum?
- Yes. 2009 has no one ounce bullion coin in our source, so every version is a collector piece that brings a premium over its platinum value.
- Is the Platinum Eagle legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($100), but nobody spends them: the platinum is worth far more than the face value.
The Platinum Eagle in 2009
In 2009 the Platinum Eagle shrank to a single coin. The Mint struck no bullion Platinum Eagles and no fractional sizes, only a one ounce proof at West Point. It began a six-year series based on the Preamble to the Constitution, starting with To Form a More Perfect Union. That left the proof as the only Platinum Eagle anyone could buy from the Mint that year, at a time when bullion buyers had to look elsewhere for platinum.
Susan Gamble designed the reverse and Phebe Hemphill sculpted it. It shows four faces representing the diversity of the nation, with their hair and clothing weaving together to symbolize union. The final mintage was 7,945 coins. With no bullion version, every genuine 2009 Platinum Eagle is a proof with a W mint mark. That simplifies identification and also gives this year a small built-in audience: anyone assembling the six Preamble coins needs one. Each Preamble coin carries its phrase as part of the design, which makes the series easy to sort without checking dates.
The 2009 proof design
To Form a More Perfect Union "Four faces representing the diversity of our Nation, with the clothing and hair weaving together symbolizing the principle" Designer: Susan Gamble; sculptor Phebe Hemphill.
2009 Platinum Eagle by the numbers
No one ounce bullion Platinum Eagle is listed for 2009 in our source; that year's coins were collector versions only.
Collector versions dated 2009 add up to 7,945 coins across 1 version. The scarcest is the 2009-W 1 oz proof at 7,945.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Platinum Eagle weighs 31.12 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.112 g (1/10 oz), 7.78 g (1/4 oz) and 15.56 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Platinum 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.
As a proof-only year with 7,945 coins, the 2009 carries a collector premium over metal value. It's also the first Preamble design, so set builders want it. Coins in their original box with the certificate are preferred and graded examples with no spots on the mirror fields attract the most interest. A coin that has been handled or cleaned loses much of its collector appeal. Proof-only years like this one also tend to stay in collections, so fewer come up for sale than the mintage alone suggests.
The Preamble series and the bullion pause (2009 to 2015)
In 2009 the program changed shape. The Mint struck only a one ounce proof and made no bullion coins at all, a pattern that held through 2013. The proofs began a six-year series built on the Preamble to the Constitution, with each design taking one of its principles as its theme. For anyone sorting coins today, that makes these years simple. Any Platinum Eagle dated 2009 to 2013 should be a one ounce proof with a W.
The series ran in order: To Form a More Perfect Union in 2009, To Establish Justice in 2010, To Insure Domestic Tranquility in 2011, To Provide for the Common Defence in 2012, To Promote the General Welfare in 2013 and To Secure the Blessings of Liberty in 2014. Designers included Susan Gamble, Donna Weaver, Joel Iskowitz and Barbara Fox, with Mint sculptors such as Phebe Hemphill engraving the final models.
Bullion finally returned in 2014 with 16,900 one ounce coins, still carrying the soaring eagle. It vanished again in 2015, when only the proof was made. That 2015 proof, Liberty Nurtures Freedom, finished with 3,886 coins, the lowest proof mintage in the whole program. Most years in this stretch stayed under 10,000 proofs, so any of them in the original box with the certificate is a respectable find. Proof-only years also mean there is no common bullion coin to fall back on for these dates. Every genuine piece was sold to collectors from the start, which is why so many survive in their boxes.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Platinum Eagle |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | .9995 fine platinum |
| Alloy | 99.95% platinum |
| Sizes | 1/10 oz ($10, 3.112 g, 16.5 mm); 1/4 oz ($25, 7.78 g, 22 mm); 1/2 oz ($50, 15.56 g, 27 mm); 1 oz ($100, 31.12 g, 32.7 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 31.12 g, 32.7 mm |
Frequently asked questions
Was there a 2009 bullion Platinum Eagle?
No. The Mint made no bullion Platinum Eagles in 2009. The only coin that year was the one ounce proof with a W mint mark, of which 7,945 were struck. Bullion buyers had no 2009 coin at all.
What does the 2009 Platinum Eagle design mean?
The four faces with their hair and clothing woven together stand for To Form a More Perfect Union, the first principle in the Preamble to the Constitution and the first coin of that series. Susan Gamble designed it and Phebe Hemphill sculpted it.
Mintages: American Platinum Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.