2011 American Platinum Eagle

Every 2011 Platinum Eagle version

There's a single 2011 Platinum Eagle: the one ounce proof with a W mint mark and $100 face value, 14,790 struck. Expect mirror fields with frosted relief and the harvest goddess with wheat and a dove on the reverse. It came in a capsule inside a presentation box with a certificate. No bullion or fractional 2011 coins exist, so a coin in another size or without a W should be checked carefully. The obverse keeps John Mercanti's Statue of Liberty, unchanged from 1997. If yours has a W and mirror fields, it's the genuine proof.

Quick answers

How much platinum is in a 2011 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 2011 Platinum Eagles were made?

No one ounce bullion coins are listed plus 14,790 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).

Is the 2011 Platinum Eagle worth more than its platinum?

Yes. 2011 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 2011 proof design

To Insure Domestic Tranquility "Harvest goddess emerging from a field of wheat, symbolizing the vastness of our Nation and its wide diversity of views. She bears stalk of wheat in her left hand, as she extends her right hand to a landing dove, representing the fulfillment of tranquility in our Nation's cohesive yet free society" Designer: Joel Iskowitz; sculptor Phebe Hemphill.

2011 Platinum Eagle by the numbers

No one ounce bullion Platinum Eagle is listed for 2011 in our source; that year's coins were collector versions only.

Collector versions dated 2011 add up to 14,790 coins across 1 version. The scarcest is the 2011-W 1 oz proof at 14,790.

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.

With the largest mintage of the Preamble series, the 2011 proof is the easiest of the six to find, though it still carries a collector premium over metal value. Condition and packaging decide how much. Coins in the original box with the certificate are preferred and top graded examples get the most attention. Look for even frost on the goddess and clean, unspotted fields. Because supply is better than for other Preamble years, buyers can afford to be choosy about condition.

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

Frequently asked questions