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While the U.S. may be relatively young, it has a rich history full of important people and events. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that historic American coins still play a major part in the modern day. In fact, much of the gold bullion that now exists is directly influenced by these coins.
Of course, many people don’t care about this connection. They simply concern themselves with owning bullion and how it can secure their financial future. This is a perfectly acceptable view to take, but for those with an eye on history, there’s so much more to enjoy.
At Silver Gold Bull, we recognize the massive effect that historic American coins have had on modern day gold bullion. We also firmly believe that the more you know about your investment, the smarter your investing will be. This guide will assist in that endeavor.
When Teddy Roosevelt was president, he felt America had a serious problem with coinage. In his mind, it simply didn’t stack up against beautiful coins from history. In fact, he looked towards high-relief and artistic examples from the ancient world as a template of what American coins should be.
Roosevelt’s drive led to what we now know as the Renaissance of U.S. Coinage. Some of the most popular historic American coins came out during this two-decade period. By the time this renaissance was over, every circulating coin had received a redesign focused on beauty.
The updated coins included:
Each of these historic American coins had designs from renowned artists. The double eagle gold coin — designed by Roosevelt’s friend Augustus Saint-Gaudens — is even frequently referred to as America’s most beautiful coin. Alas, this renaissance was not meant to last.
After the 1930s, a trend towards featuring history on coinage began. This started in 1932 when the U.S. Mint placed George Washington on the quarter. Since that point, American coinage has featured historic figures from the past. Fortunately, the emphasis on beauty in coinage would eventually resurface.
While you won’t find historic coin designs released into current circulation, much of today’s bullion has significant influence from the historic American coins that beautified our currency in the past. In fact, much of our gold bullion comes directly from that vibrant period of coinage.
You could spend hours researching designs from the Renaissance of U.S. Coinage. If you’re more interested in the designs that live on through modern bullion, though, the list gets considerably shorter. While all those historic coins were beautiful, a special few stood out.
The following coins are all modern bullion offerings. Each of their designs, however, come directly from history. In some cases, you may be able to buy the historic American coin they’re modeled after for a lower price than the modern coin itself.
That might be a great way to honor history, but if you’re more interested in the bullion, it may be best to stick with the present day.
America didn’t always have an official gold bullion coin. When we released one in 1986, however, it had an air of history. If you buy American Gold Eagles, it will quickly become apparent why. This bullion coin was modeled after the Saint-Gaudens double eagle.
The historic American coin that served as the model of our modern bullion contained less than an ounce of 900 pure gold. By comparison, the modern version has a full ounce of .9167 pure bullion. The legal tender amount of the modern coin is also more than double (i.e., $50) the original $20 value.
Not all modern gold bullion took inspiration from a historic gold coin. This is the case with the American Gold Buffaloes currently produced by the U.S. Mint. The coin we based these on — the Buffalo nickel — had a composition of 75% copper and 25% nickel.
Unfortunately, the features of the nickel made its wear down quickly. This is why the mint replaced the design as soon as they could. The nickel remains popular, however, so it makes sense that you can now buy 1 ounce of .9999 bullion featuring the design.
While this guide focuses on historic American coins in relation to gold bullion, it would be unfair to not at least mention modern silver bullion based on history. Each of the following historic coins have had their designs repurposed in today’s bullion by either private or public mints:
As this list shows, even modern silver bullion can take influence from golden historic American coins. The Saint-Gaudens design remains one of the most popular, so its use as inspiration is likely to continue for both silver and gold bullion.
The great thing about these offerings is that you won’t pay a numismatic premium. While you could buy these historic coins directly, you’ll often pay extra due to their rarity and collectability. With bullion offerings, the intrinsic value of the precious metal accounts for most of the worth.
Many historic American coins have played a major role in today’s bullion. What many people don’t realize is that some of these coins served as bullion themselves. There are even many old coins that you can buy without breaking the bank.
The important thing to remember with these coins is that you will always pay a premium for collectability. This doesn’t mean you’re losing money on your investment; it simply means you’re investing in more than just precious metals.
The following are some of the most popular options for historic American bullion:
The modern bullion coin based on the Saint-Gaudens double eagle is certainly a sight to behold. If you’re more interested in the historic American coin itself, though, you can buy it for not much more than the modern bullion offering.
Buying the Saint-Gaudens double eagle is like purchasing a piece of history. It kicked off the Renaissance of U.S. Coinage and remained in production until the Great Depression. This made it serve as an even bigger testament to history — thanks to its discontinuation related to America’s gold confiscation.
If you look around for a modern bullion piece based on the $5 Liberty half eagle, you won’t find one. The coin came out well before the drive to beautify our coinage. And while it’s certainly a historic American coin, it simply doesn’t have the popularity of other releases.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean it’s not still a valuable investment. One of these coins recently sold for over $2 million at auction. Fortunately, you can typically buy certified examples of these offerings — containing nearly one-quarter ounce of 900 pure gold — for just a few hundred dollars.
It may not be the most popular coin from American history, and it’s not even the most popular gold offering from the past. When a coin contains gold and holds a place in history, though, these menial nuances mean little.
Modern American coinage is a beautiful thing to behold, and this is also true for U.S. bullion pieces. Unfortunately, many people fail to realize that much of this beauty comes directly from the past. In fact, many of the bullion options we currently have are replicas of old coins.
If your sole interest is to invest in gold bullion, modern designs may mean little to you. After all, an ounce of gold is still an ounce of gold regardless of its features. If you want a sense of history when investing for your future, though, there are plenty of options available.
At Silver Gold Bull, we understand the appeal of historic American coins. That’s why we offer everything from modern bullion re-strikes to the original coins themselves. Visit our Gold Bullion Product page today to get an idea of just how much history affects modern precious metal options.
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