Gold Coins
Why gold american eagle coins are popular among collectors: Gold coins are a favorite of coin collectors with an eye toward investment. Not only are golden coins lovely to behold, but they also have a value that is guaranteed, due to their precious metal content. The value of gold coins is usually higher than the value of their weight in gold bullion, making them a better investment than the gold market alone.Many countries produce gold coins for collectors or for commemorative purposes. These coins oftentimes emphasize unique aspects of the country’s culture. Australia reveres its national animal with the Gold Kangaroo, for example, while China has a Gold Panda with a lovely design that changes every year. Canada’s coin features a powerful national symbol with the golden Maple Leaf, and South Africa mints the Krugerrand. One of the world’s best selling coins, the Krugerrand features the South African national animal, the Springbok. Taking its place as one of the most popular gold coins among investors and collectors, however, is the American Gold Eagle. The American Gold Eagle stands out among other bullion coins because of its lovely design, and because its value is backed by the full strength of the United States government.

American Eagle Gold Coins
The Gold Eagle features a representation of Lady Liberty striding with torch in hand through a field of light rays on its front side. This image is inspired by a golden coin designed by Augustus Saint-Gauden and minted from 1907 to 1933. The Augustus Saint-Gauden Double Eagle is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful coins America has ever produced. On the flip side of the American Eagle gold coins is a nest full of bald eagles, the national bird of the United States. The nest represents the American dedication to unity and family. Furthermore, a special die is used when minting these coins, to bring the gold to an especially high shine and to make it easier to see small details in the design.American Eagle gold coins are valuable not only for their lovely appearance, but also because they are the only bullion coin whose gold content is guaranteed by the United States government. Each American Gold Eagle is stamped with its exact gold weight, as well as its face value. They are minted from 22-karat gold, which by law must be pure gold bullion mined from within the United States. This guarantee of the authenticity of the precious metals used to make American Eagle gold coins is highly valuable to investors.Golden American Eagles were first produced in 1985 and come in a variety of sizes and values, ranging from the 1/10th oz American Eagle coin with a face value of $5, all the way up to full ounce gold coins with a face value of $50. Remember that most gold coins are worth more than their legal tender amount. Although they re not available for purchase directly from the U.S. Mint, American Eagle can be commonly found for sale in coin shops, on the internet, by gold dealers, and at coin shows. There are also variations on the American Eagle that are minted from silver or platinum instead of gold.

Platinum
(Sp. platina, silver) Discovered in South America by Ulloa in 1735 and by Wood in 1741. The metal was used by pre-Colombian Indians. Platinum occurs native, accompanied by small quantities of iridium, osmium, palladium ruthenium, and rhodium, all belonging to the same group of metals. These are found in the alluvial deposits of the Ural mountains, of Columbia, and of certain western American states. Sperrylite, occurring with the nickel-bearing deposits of Sudbury, Ontario, is the source of a considerable amount of metal. The large production of nickel offsets there being only one part of the platinum metals in two million parts of ore. Platinum is a beautiful silvery-white metal, when pure, and is malleable and ductile. It has a coefficient of expansion almost equal to that of soda-lime-silica glass, and is therefore used to make sealed electrodes in glass systems. The metal does not oxidize in air at any temperature, but is corroded by halogens, cyanides, sulfur, and caustic alkalis. It is insoluble in hydrochloric and nitric acid, but dissolves when they are mixed as aqua regia, forming chloroplatinic acid, an important compound. The metal is extensively used in jewelry, wire, and vessels for laboratory use, and in many valuable instruments including thermocouple elements. It is also used for electrical contacts, corrosion-resistant apparatus, and in dentistry. Platinum-cobalt alloys have magnetic properties. One such alloy made of 76.7% Pt and 23.3% Co, by weight, is an extremely powerful magnet that offers a B-H (max) almost twice that of Alnico V. Platinum resistance wires are used for constructing high-temperature electric furnaces. The metal is used for coating missile nose cones, jet engine fuel nozzles, etc., which must perform reliably for long periods of time at high temperatures. The metal, like palladium, absorbs large volumes, of hydrogen, retaining it at ordinary temperatures but giving it up when heated. In the finely divided state platinum is an excellent catalyst, having long been used in the contact process for producing sulfuric acid. It is also used as a catalyst in cracking petroleum products. There is also much current interest in the use of platinum as a catalyst in fuel cells and in antipollution devices for automobiles. Platinum anodes are extensively used in cathodic protection systems for large ships and ocean-going vessels, pipelines, steel piers, etc. Fine platinum wire will glow red hot when placed in the vapor of methyl alcohol. It acts here as a catalyst, converting the alcohol to formaldehyde. The phenomenon has been used commercially to produce cigarette lighters and hand warmers. Hydrogen and oxygen explode in the presence of platinum. The price of platinum has varied widely; more than a century ago it was used to adulterate gold. It was nearly eight times as valuable as gold in 1920. The price in January 1990 was about $500/troy oz.