By Paul Gilkes for COIN WORLD

Some collectors who buy Uncirculated American Eagle gold, silver and platinum bullion coins wonder why they can’t buy the coins directly from the United States Mint instead of having to buy the issues from dealers on the secondary market.

The answer lies within the purpose of the American Eagle bullion coins: to enable investors to buy U.S. bullion coins at prices not much above the coins’ bullion values.

While some hobbyists collect the Uncirculated American Eagle bullion coins without Mint marks by date, those issues are intended to be investment vehicles. Their value is tied to the daily spot price of gold, silver or platinum, plus a premium.

Consumers are able to buy the Proof and Uncirculated collector versions of the American Eagle coins, all bearing the W Mint mark from the West Point Mint, directly from the U.S. Mint. However, these collector coins are sold a fixed price that is considerably higher than the intrinsic value of the metal each coin contains.

In terms of composition and size, the U.S. Mint sells nine different American Eagles, irrespective of finish. The American Eagle .999 fine silver coin is sold in a 1-ounce size only. The American Eagle .9167 fine gold and .9995 fine platinum coins are sold in four sizes: 1 ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce.

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