Nov 4, 2021 4 mins read

A Brief History of Bullion Coins in the US

Investing in bullion coins is a smart way of multiplying your wealth. If you’re someone who likes to remain on the safer side of things when it comes to investments, precious metals are your best bet.

They are less volatile, give steady returns, and best of all, they’re physical assets. People feel more confident in wealth that is tangible. This is why precious metals have truly stood the test of time.

Precious metals are carefully taken through processes to shape them into attractive bars and coins. It ultimately comes down to their attractiveness that makes them the valued pieces of metals that they are. After all, who would like to buy an unprocessed piece of gold which they can neither use nor store properly?

Gold and silver bullion coins are great examples of how these precious metals can be utilized. As far as these collectible coins are concerned, they’ve not just maintained their values but have increased in value over the years.

Let’s take a look at how these popular bullion coins that we know today came into existence.

American Eagle Bullion Coin

This is one of the most popular bullion coins in the country. First released back in 1986, the American Eagle coin has held the design of an eagle, thus the name. It also has a design of Lady Liberty holding a lit-up torch in one hand and a maple leaf branch in the other.

As for the face values, they come in 4 values:

With increasing face value, the thickness, diameter, and weight of these coins also increase.

For its 20^th anniversary back in 2006, a burnished American Gold Eagle served as a collector’s item rather than a piece of legal tender. The unique nature of such a coin made it immensely valuable and drove its price up in subsequent years as it was truly a masterpiece.

To get an idea of how much these coins are in demand, 2021 has seen more than 1.23 million Gold American Eagle coins being sold. The sales for Silver American Eagle coins were more than 22 million, while the coin was reported to have sold around 75,000 coins in platinum.

Canadian Maple Leaf Bullion Coin

Donning the design of a maple leaf on the reverse by taking inspiration from the Canadian flag, the Gold Canadian Maple Leaf is another popular bullion coin in the US.

Although commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint rather than the US Mint, this coin still holds immense significance in the region. It was produced before the American Gold Eagle, 7 years earlier.

This coins have always had the image of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, with updates on her depiction on the coin coming in 1990 and the last one being in 2005.

Whether produced in gold, silver, platinum, or even palladium, the Canadian Maple Leaf coins hold their value strongly. This is because these were some of the first coins that came when the South African Krugerrand was the leader in the gold bullion market.

Providing strong competition to the Krugerrand, the Maple Leaf became a highly demanded bullion coin, and people wanted to invest in bullion coins such as this one.

The pure gold content of this coin is also something to behold. It boasts an incredible .9999 purity level, which equates to 22-karat. Like the American Eagle coin, these also vary in values according to their weight.

American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coin

Another popular bullion coin produced by the US Mint is the American Buffalo. This has somewhat a briefer history than its other counterparts; it was released in 2006 with a purity level of .9999 of fine gold.

What gives these coins their specialty is that these were the 24-karat gold-proof coins ever made by the US Mint. As they are limited in supply, their scarcity contributes to their ever-growing value.

For this year, the American Buffalo Gold coin has sold around 231,000 coins so far. To put things into perspective, the coin sold around 242,000 last year when the pandemic had restricted most of the population from spending big. Projections indicate that since investing in precious metals is a good option for hedging against inflation, the sales numbers for this year will certainly go up.

British Britannia

This is also one of the oldest gold bullion coins to be introduced in the world. Introduced back in 1987, the British Britannia utilizes the highest-grade silver and carries a design of Queen Elizabeth II and a British female warrior.

Since the British government backs it, people invest in silver British Britannia in the US as well due to its trustworthiness.

Royal Canadian Mint Polar Bear Bullion Coin

The Royal Canadian Mint Polar Bear coin was introduced in the year 1996 to replicate the $2 banknote of that time.

The Canadian Mint put out a line of distinctive coins of which the polar bear design is also a part of. It’s composed of 99.99% pure silver and has a face value of 50 CAD.

Again, its limited supply is what makes it one of the most highly-desired silver bullion coins in the US and beyond.

Are you mesmerized with some of these popular gold and silver bullion coins? If yes, nothing should stop you from buying one for yourself right away!

At Orion Metal Exchange, we have all the popular bullion coins in the US, including those produced by other countries. We also provide close guidance to all our clients in their investing journey and offer them personalized advice that helps you invest your money the best way possible.

Reach out to us, and let’s get started!