2009 1/2 oz American Gold Eagle Coin

Description

2009 1/2 oz American Gold Eagle Coin

In 2009, global demand for precious metals caused production issues for the US Mint that altered both collector and bullion coin offerings. The one ounce version of the Gold Eagle was available most of the year, although it was subject to order rationing the first half of the year and again at the very end of the year. The fractional ounce Gold Eagles were available in limited quantities at the end of the year. The precious metals shortage also led to the US Mint canceling the planned collectible versions of both the Gold Eagle and the Silver Eagle in October. Currently, available for purchase is a 2009 1/2 oz American Gold Eagle coin.

Coin Highlights:

• Ships in a protective plastic flip!
• 24^th year of availability of the American Gold Eagle coin series!
• Contains 1/2 Troy oz of actual gold content.
• Issued a face value of $25 (USD) fully backed by the United States government.
• Lady Liberty is on the obverse.
• A family of eagles is on the reverse.

The obverse and reverse designs on the American Gold Eagle coins are the result of President Theodore Roosevelt’s sentiment that the US coins had become repulsive, artistically speaking. In 1904, without asking Congress, he retained the talented Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a design that would return beauty to our US coins. The resulting Saint-Gaudens’ Lady Liberty creation appeared on the Eagle ($10) and the Double Eagle ($20) gold coins. It is a version of that Saint-Gaudens’ Lady Liberty that now appears on the American Eagle Gold coin.

The obverse of the 2009 American Gold Eagle coin features Saint-Gaudens’ Lady Liberty. It is a full-length figure of Lady Liberty, appearing to walk right off the coin at you. Her hair is flowing in the breeze behind her, and she is carrying a torch in her extended right hand while she carries an olive branch in her left hand.

The reverse of the 2009 American Gold Eagle coin features the Miley Busiek created a design that was sculpted by Sherl J. Winter. It symbolizes the importance of family in America. A male eagle, carrying an olive branch, is flying towards a nest with a female eagle and a couple of eaglets. It includes several inscriptions as well.

In 2009, the price of gold continued its upward trend. After closing 2008 at $880.25, it climbed past the $1,000.00 per ounce mark, closing out the year at $1,087.50. This represented the tenth year in a row where the price of gold closed the year higher than the previous year. In addition, in December 2009, the price per ounce of gold reached a new record high – $1,212.50 per ounce.