The U.S. Mint launched the American Eagle Coin Program in 1986 with gold and silver bullion coins for investors. The program has since expanded to include platinum and palladium coins. The Mint also makes proof and uncirculated versions of the American Eagle coins for collecting.
American Eagle Bullion Coins provide investors with a convenient and cost effective way to add a small amount of physical gold, silver, platinum, or palladium to their investment portfolios. The gold bullion coins are available in four sizes: one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce. The silver, platinum, and palladium bullion coins are available in the one ounce size.
The Mint produces American Eagle Coins for collectors with proof and uncirculated finishes. The gold and silver coins are released in both proof and uncirculated finishes each year. The platinum coins are currently made only as proof, while the palladium coins switch finishes each year.
The United States trade dollar was a dollar coin minted by the United States Mint to compete with other large silver trade coins that were already popular in East Asia. The idea first came about in the 1860s, when the price of silver began to decline due to increased mining in the western United States. A bill providing in part for the issuance of the trade dollar was eventually put before Congress, where it was approved, and signed into law as the Coinage Act of 1873. The act made trade dollars legal tender up to five dollars. A number of designs were considered for the trade dollar, and an obverse and reverse created by William Barber were selected.
The first trade dollars were struck in 1873; the majority of these were sent to China. Eventually, bullion producers began converting large amounts of silver into trade dollars, causing the coins to make their way into American commercial channels. This caused frustration among those to whom they were given in payment, as the coins were largely maligned and traded for less than one dollar each. In response to their wide distribution in American commerce, the coins were officially demonetized in 1876, but continued to circulate. The production of business strikes ended in 1878, though proof coins officially continued to be minted until 1883. The trade dollar was re-monetized when the Coinage Act of 1965 was signed into law.
Following the California gold rush that began in 1849 and the Australian gold rush that began in 1851, a larger amount of gold was put into commerce than could be easily absorbed by the normal channels.[1] This resulted in a decrease in the value of gold and an increase in the relative value of silver.[1] As a result, silver coins rapidly disappeared from circulation due either to hoarding or melting.[1] In response, Congress authorized the Mint to reduce the quantity of silver in all denominations except the three-cent piece and silver dollar.[1] Beginning in the 1860s, silver production rose and the price decreased.[2] During this period, there was a notable decline in the circulation of silver coins, which were gradually replaced by copper and paper currency. This shift in currency composition resulted in a decrease in the availability and usage of silver coins within the monetary system. The reasons behind this transition varied and were influenced by a range of economic, political, and social factors. As a consequence, copper and paper currency gained prominence as the primary means of exchange, marking a significant change in the monetary landscape of the time.[2]
In China, the Mexican peso (successor to the Spanish dollar) was greatly valued in commerce. However, the Chinese were sensitive to any changes in the coin's design, and were reluctant to accept newer coins due to a minor design change. The American silver dollar, 7.5 grains (0.49 g) lighter than its Spanish counterpart, was unpopular in East Asia due to its lower weight, forcing American merchants to purchase the Spanish or Mexican pieces to use in trade.[3] Beginning in 1866, during the reign of Emperor Maximilian, the design was changed to show the Emperor's portrait; this caused widespread nonacceptance of the coins in China.[4]
While conducting an investigation of the Mint at San Francisco, deputy comptroller of the currency John Jay Knox began discussing the monetary situation with Louis A. Garnett, a man who had worked as both the treasurer and assayer of the San Francisco Mint.[5] Garnett recommended that the United States mint a commercial dollar that would be exported to East Asia to compete with other countries' silver trade coins that were already popular in that region.[5] Garnett's rationale was that the majority of the coins would be hoarded or melted in Asia and would never be presented for redemption, allowing the government to make a profit from the seigniorage.[6] During his time in San Francisco, Knox also discussed the proposed commercial dollar with Henry Linderman, who was working as a special agent for the Treasury Department at that time.[5] In 1870, Knox wrote a report to the Treasury and wrote the draft for a bill on coinage.[5] Knox's bill was approved by George Boutwell, Secretary of the Treasury.[5] After modification and review from current and former government officials, the bill was put before Congress.[7]
In February 1872, the bill was amended by a House of Representatives committee to include authorization for a commercial dollar weighing 420 grains (27 g);[7] but this proposal was replaced three months later when the House voted to include provisions for the production of a standard silver dollar weighing 384 grains (24.9 g).[7] While in the Senate, the bill was again amended to require the Treasury to coin a trade dollar of 420 grains (27 g), as had been done earlier in the House.[7] The revised bill, which came to be known as the Coinage Act of 1873, was approved in the House and Senate and was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on February 12, 1873.[7]
The bill provided, in part, for the striking of trade dollars which held legal tender status up to five dollars.[9] The legal tender provision was added by a last-minute rider at the behest of silver interests.[10] At the insistence of Ohio Senator John Sherman, the weight and fineness of the piece was indicated on the reverse, an attribution which numismatic historian Don Taxay found incomprehensible as "Chinese merchants would never understand them".[11]
In 1874, trade dollars began appearing in American commerce.[9] In early 1875, Congress passed the Specie Redemption Act, allowing the Treasury to pay out silver coins in exchange for paper currency. That act, combined with a drop in the price of silver, caused hoarded or exported silver coins to reappear in commerce within the United States.[28] Many trade dollars were reimported, especially to California.[10] After the value of silver began to decline and the intrinsic value of the coins fell below one dollar, bullion depositors began having their silver struck as trade dollars and selling them wholesale to be distributed throughout the country.[9] Bullion producers opted to coin their silver into trade dollars because the Coinage Act of 1873 specified that silver brought to the Mint could only be struck as such or cast into bars.[29]
Linderman ordered a review of the success of the trade dollar in China.[23] It was discovered that the coins circulated reasonably well in southern China, but usage in the north was limited.[23] As the price of silver decreased, employers in the United States began paying workers in trade dollars purchased at a discount.[34] The situation frustrated the public, as the coins were widely disliked and many banks and businesses refused to accept them.[34] In response, many towns, mostly in the western states, set a fixed value on trade dollars.[34] Businesses which did accept trade dollars to avoid offending customers could not deposit them in banks or use them to pay taxes, and sold them to brokers. The brokers in turn recirculated the coins by selling them at a discount from face value to employers who included them in workers' pay packets. In 1883, members of the New York Mercantile Exchange petitioned Congress to allow redemption of the coins by the government.[35][36]
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