2021 American Platinum Eagle
Every version of the 2021 Platinum Eagle with mintages, the platinum it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2021
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 75,000
- Versions
- 2
- 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 2021 Platinum Eagle worth?
The 2021 bullion Platinum Eagle is worth its platinum 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 2021-W 1 oz proof (9,884) 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 2021 Platinum Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($100) | 75,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($100) | 9,884 | Small premium |
The 2021 bullion Platinum Eagle is a one ounce coin with a $100 face value and no mint mark, showing the soaring eagle. The Mint sold 75,000. A one ounce proof with a W mint mark was also issued, with 9,884 sold, carrying the Freedom of Religion design with its seedling and acorn. Like other proofs, it shipped in a capsule within a presentation box, certificate included. Look for the W and mirror fields to identify the proof. The bullion coin keeps the Statue of Liberty obverse used since 1997. Proofs came boxed with a certificate, while bullion was sold in tubes.
Quick answers
- How much platinum is in a 2021 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 2021 Platinum Eagles were made?
- 75,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 9,884 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2021 Platinum Eagle worth more than its platinum?
- 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 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 2021
Bullion demand reached a new modern high in 2021. The Mint sold 75,000 one ounce bullion Platinum Eagles, the most since the 133,002 of 1998. While the gold and silver Eagles changed their reverse designs that year, the bullion Platinum Eagle stayed with Thomas D. Rogers's soaring eagle. Platinum buyers stayed with a familiar design that had not changed since 1997. Collectors who sort their Eagles by reverse will find the 2021 platinum bullion coin looks just like every bullion date before it, which means the date is the only quick way to tell them apart.
The proof opened a new series on the freedoms of the First Amendment, starting with Freedom of Religion. Its obverse shows a seedling and an acorn surrounded by the words WITH FREEDOM OF RELIGION LIBERTY GROWS. It's a simple, symbolic design that marks a clear break from the figures of Lady Liberty on the previous three proofs. The proof sold 9,884, a much smaller issue than the 75,000 bullion coins.
The 2021 proof design
Freedom of Religion "The obverse (heads) design depicts a seedling and an acorn surrounded by the inscription WITH FREEDOM OF RELIGION LIBERTY GROWS." Designer: .
2021 Platinum Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 75,000 one ounce bullion Platinum Eagles dated 2021. That ranks 18th lowest of the 19 bullion dates from 1997 to 2021.
Against the dates around it, 2021 bullion sales were 1.3 times the 2020 figure.
Collector versions dated 2021 add up to 9,884 coins across 1 version. The scarcest is the 2021-W 1 oz proof at 9,884.
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.
The 2021 bullion coin, with 75,000 sold, trades for a small premium over metal value. Clean, spot-free coins are the most desirable. The Freedom of Religion proof carries a collector premium as the first coin of the First Amendment series, which gives it a built-in audience. Keep the proof in its original box with the certificate for the best reception when selling. Bullion coins in original Mint tubes are easy to resell. The bullion coin's larger mintage means condition matters more than scarcity for it, so bright, spot-free examples are the ones buyers prefer.
Anniversary and the Declaration series (2016 to 2021)
From 2016 the one ounce bullion coin became a yearly fixture again, starting with 20,000 pieces. The 2016 proof showed Liberty holding a torch and an olive branch beside a bald eagle. In 2017 the proof marked the program's 20th anniversary by bringing back Thomas D. Rogers's original soaring eagle, so for one more year proof and bullion shared a reverse. The 2016 proof was designed by Paul C. Balan.
The proofs from 2018 to 2020 took their themes from the Declaration of Independence: Life in 2018, Liberty in 2019 and the Pursuit of Happiness in 2020. Justin Kunz designed all three, which sit on the obverse, while the proof reverse became Patricia Lucas-Morris's eagle in flight with an olive branch. Meanwhile bullion demand climbed steadily, from 30,000 coins in 2018 to 40,000 in 2019, 56,500 in 2020 and 75,000 in 2021. Bullion buyers in these years were mostly after metal content, while proof buyers were building sets, so the two versions followed quite different paths.
The 2021 proof opened a new series on the freedoms of the First Amendment, beginning with Freedom of Religion, shown with a seedling, an acorn and the words WITH FREEDOM OF RELIGION LIBERTY GROWS. For coins from these years, the bullion pieces are common enough to trade near metal value, while the proofs remain small issues that collectors keep in their original packaging. The 2020 and 2021 proofs sold 9,837 and 9,884, far smaller issues than the bullion coins, sold boxed with a certificate like every proof before them.
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
Did the Platinum Eagle get a new reverse in 2021?
Not the bullion coin. It kept the soaring eagle while the gold and silver Eagles changed. The 2021 proof started a new First Amendment series with a Freedom of Religion obverse. The soaring eagle remained on every bullion coin.
How many 2021 bullion Platinum Eagles were sold?
The Mint sold 75,000 one ounce bullion coins in 2021, the highest bullion figure since 1998. They carry no mint mark and the original soaring eagle reverse. Demand for bullion stayed strong through the year.
Mintages: American Platinum Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.