The American Gold Eagle is an official gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 bullion coin

Bullion coin

A bullion coin is a coin struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce. Investment coins are generally coins that have been minted after 1800, have a purity of not less than 900 thousandths and are or have been a legal tender in...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Authorized under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985

Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985

The Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, Pub. L. No. 99-185, 99 Stat. 1177 , codified at through , , , and amending and , has helped the American Gold Eagle to quickly become one of the world's leaders in gold bullion coin...

, it was first released by the United States Mint

United States Mint

The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...

 in 1986.
Offered in 1/10 oz

Troy ounce

The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...

, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations, these coins are guaranteed by the U.S. government to contain the stated amount of actual gold weight

Actual gold weight

The actual gold weight of a bullion coin or bar is the amount of fine, pure, or intrinsic gold content in troy ounces. It is typically used to describe gold or silver coins....

 in troy ounce

Troy ounce

The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...

s. By law, the gold must come from sources in America, alloyed with silver and copper to produce a more wear-resistant coin.