US Mint

Precious Metal Coins from the United States Mint

Among the three major mints in North America, the United States Mint coins the highest volume of gold and silver coinage. The products from the United States Mint are known to investors and collectors around the world, and each series boasts designs that include images proudly displaying figures such as Lady Liberty and the American bald eagle. From bullion coinage in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium to historic US gold and silver circulation coins, there’s no shortage of options when you shop US coins from JM Bullion.

American Eagle Series

The premier bullion coin series from the United States Mint is the American Eagle Collection. These coins first debuted in 1986 and have common, though not shared, design elements. Each of the various coins in this collection depicts a different vision of Liberty on the obverse side and a unique American bald eagle design on the reverse. In the case of three of the four coins in this series, the vision of Liberty on the obverse comes directly from historic circulation US coins. The bullion coins of the United States Mint include the following:

• American Gold Eagle: The American Gold Eagle coin debuted in 1986 with a bullion version offering 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz options. Each coin has 22-karat (.9167) pure gold content. The obverse of American Gold Eagles includes Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ vision of Liberty from the $20 Gold Double Eagle (1907-1933). The reverse has an exclusive design of a family of American bald eagles created in 1986 by Miley Busiek. The Gold Eagle is also available in proof and burnished versions. The proof coins debuted first in 1986 with the 1 Troy oz coin, followed in 1987 by the 1/2 oz and in 1988 by the 1/4 and 1/10 oz coins. The Burnished Gold Eagles debuted in 2006 and today are available only in 1 Troy oz.
• American Silver Eagle: The American Silver Eagle debuted in 1986 along with the Gold Eagle. It is available only in a 1 Troy oz option and featured bullion and proof versions at first. As of 2006, it also has a burnished version. The obverse of American Silver Eagles includes Walking Liberty from Adolph A. Weinman, a design originally featured on the US half-dollar coin from 1916 to 1947. The reverse depicts the modern vision of the heraldic eagle of the United States as modified by John Mercanti in 1986.
• American Platinum Eagle: Introduced in 1997, the Platinum Eagle was the first metallic addition to the American Eagle Series and was available from 1997 to 2008 with 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz coins featuring .9995 pure platinum. As of 2009 in proof and 2014 in bullion, the coins are available only in a 1 Troy oz weight. The bullion version was suspended from 2009 to 2013. The obverse depicts the Statue of Liberty as designed by John Mercanti. The reverse of the bullion coins includes Thomas D. Rogers’ design of an eagle flying over the country. The reverse of Proof Platinum Eagles has a new design each year.
• American Palladium Eagle: The latest addition to the collection, the American Palladium Eagle debuted in 2017. It features .9995 pure palladium and a weight of 1 Troy oz. The coin’s obverse features Adolph A. Weinman’s Winged Liberty design which featured on the Mercury Dime from 1916 to 1945. The reverse has a depiction of the American bald eagle also created by Weinman and featured on the American Institute of Architect’s annual Gold Medal.

American Gold Buffalo

The American Gold Buffalo is a special coin in the history of US Mint coinage. Introduced as a new annual bullion option in 2006, the American Gold Buffalo is the first-ever 24-karat gold coin from the United States Mint. Its obverse and reverse sides bear the designs from the Buffalo Nickel (1913 to 1938). The obverse includes the right-profile portrait of a Native American tribal member and the reverse features the image of an American Bison, otherwise known as a buffalo.

America the Beautiful Series

Without question, the America the Beautiful series of silver coins from the United States Mint is the most diverse option you’ll find when buying silver from the US Mint. This collection debuted in 2010 and includes a startling 56 different designs available in groups of five each year stretching from 2010 to 2021.

The America the Beautiful Series celebrates the historic monuments, sites, national parks, and national lakeshores of the United States. In total, the series represents each of the 50 US states, the five overseas territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Marianas Islands. Also included in the collection is a coin representing the federal district of Washington D.C.

Coins in the America the Beautiful Series feature .999 pure silver content, weigh 5 Troy oz, and have a face value of $.25 (USD). All of the coins have their own, unique reverse design representative of the state or territory with each release. However, the obverse side of the coins is the same for every coin. John Flanagan’s 1932 left-profile portrait of President George Washington appears on this side. This is the same design used on American circulation quarters.

Historic US Coins

When available, JM Bullion also offers historic US coins. All US silver coins issued prior to 1964 had .900 pure silver content and beautiful designs that often included the image of Lady Liberty. Examples of historic US silver coins include:

• Morgan Silver Dollar: Offered by the US Mint from 1878 to 1904, and again in 1921, the Morgan Silver Dollar was designed for the US Mint by George T. Morgan and became a popular collectible coin in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Walking Liberty Half Dollar: This design now features on the American Silver Eagle and was originally created in 1916 by Adolph A. Weinman. This design appeared in circulation from 1916 to 1947.
• Mercury Dime: Also designed by Adolph A. Weinman, this design of Liberty now features on the American Palladium Eagle and originally featured on the Winged Liberty Dime (Mercury Dime) from 1916 to 1945.

One of the most popular coins ever issued by the United States Mint was the $20 Gold Double Eagle. The Double Eagle was a $20 (USD) coin which featured as part of the Gold Eagle circulation coins introduced in the 1830s. The Gold Eagles came in denominations of Eagle ($10), Half Eagle ($5), Quarter-Eagle ($2.50), and the famed Double Eagle. The design of the $20 Gold Double Eagle came from Augustus Saint-Gaudens and produced a vision of Liberty as a guiding force leading the nation on the international stage. She holds her torch high above her head in her right hand and a large olive branch in her left.

40% and 90% Silver from the US Mint

A popular choice among first-time buyers and those looking for a quick investment is 40% and 90% silver. Most of these coins from the United States Mint fall into one of two categories:

• Former circulation coins that have some level of wear and tear. This includes many of the coins mentioned above in the Historic US coins section.
• 90% and 40% silver coins are those issued by the US Mint for circulation. As mentioned above, all silver coins issued prior to 1964 had at least .900 pure silver content. Coins issued after 1965 had at best 40% silver content.

Regardless of the type of 40% or 90% silver you purchase, most of these coins come in canvas bags or coin rolls. The coins have varying levels of wear and tear, and come from various years of issue based upon the original availability of the coins.

Buying US Coins from JM Bullion

Regardless of the US coins you’re looking to buy, JM Bullion has you covered. We encourage our customers to reach out to us with questions regarding US Mint coinage. You can call us at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or simply send us an email with your inquiries.