Buy a 1 oz American Gold Eagle tube — 20 coins, 20 troy ounces of gold, in a single mint tube. These have been struck every year since 1986 and are the best-selling gold coin in the United States, so buying by the tube is how most people build a position without paying single-coin premiums twenty times over.
Why It Says .9167 and Still Holds a Full Ounce
This confuses more buyers than anything else about the coin, so it is worth being clear. An American Gold Eagle is 22 karat — .9167 fine — alloyed with copper and silver for durability. But it still contains one full troy ounce of pure gold. The coin simply weighs more than an ounce in total to accommodate the alloy.
So a full tube holds 20 troy ounces of actual gold, exactly the same as 20 one-ounce .9999 bars. You are not getting less metal; you are getting a harder coin that survives handling better than pure gold does.
What Arrives
- Contents – 20 coins, 20 troy oz of gold.
- Purity – .9167 (22 karat), 1 oz pure gold per coin.
- Face value – $50 per coin, US government backed.
- Diameter – 32.7 mm, thickness 2.87 mm.
- Condition – Uncirculated, random dates.
- Packaging – mint tube of 20.
Random Year, and Why It Costs Less
Dates in this tube range from 1986 through recent issues, and no specific year is guaranteed. Reverse designs vary too: coins struck before 2021 carry the family-of-eagles design, later ones the newer bald eagle portrait. A tube may hold a mix or may not.
That uncertainty is the point. Random-year tubes price below date-specific ones because the seller is not sorting inventory for you, and for anyone buying gold by weight rather than by year, it is the cheaper way to the same 20 ounces.
The Series
Congress authorised the American Eagle programme in 1985 and the Mint began striking in 1986. The series runs in 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz sizes, in bullion and proof, plus a burnished issue — but only the bullion coins are mandated to be produced every year without fail. The obverse carries Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty, adapted from his 1907 Double Eagle and widely held to be the finest design ever used on American coinage.
Buying and Selling
The tube is priced live against the gold market rather than held at a fixed rate, so the figure at checkout is the current one.
It ships fast, discreet and fully insured, tracked to your door in the sealed mint tube.
When you sell, we pay cash for American Eagles at live rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much gold is in a tube of 20 coins?
20 troy ounces of pure gold — one full ounce in each coin, despite the 22 karat fineness.
What is the 1 oz gold eagle price based on?
The gold spot price plus a premium covering minting and distribution. Buying by the tube lowers that premium per coin against buying singles.
Which years will I receive?
Random dates from 1986 onward. Specific years and reverse designs are not guaranteed.
Are these IRA-eligible?
Yes. American Gold Eagles are specifically permitted under IRS rules despite falling below .995 fineness, as a statutory exception.
Does it cost more than a 1 oz bar?
Usually a little, because a sovereign coin carries a government guarantee and resells more easily to the general public. The metal content is identical.
