1987 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 1987 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1987
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 1,045,500
- Versions
- 6
- Metal
- 22 karat gold (91.67%)
Original illustration of the coin's size and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because metal and coin prices change daily.
What is a 1987 Gold Eagle worth?
The 1987 bullion Gold Eagle is worth its gold content: weight times the day's spot price, plus a modest dealer premium when you buy and less when you sell. Its scarcer versions are different: the 1987 1/2 oz proof (143,398) rates small premium.
Metal value = troy ounces of gold × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 1987 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 1,045,500 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 131,255 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 269,255 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 580,266 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 147,498 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 143,398 | Small premium |
There are six 1987 versions. The tenth, quarter, half and one ounce bullion coins carry no mint mark and have a standard bright finish. The half ounce and one ounce proofs have mirror fields, frosted devices and a small mint mark. They were sold in a capsule with a box and certificate. A 1987 tenth or quarter ounce is bullion by default because neither size was offered in proof. For a half ounce, mirror fields plus a mint mark mean proof. The half ounce measures 27 mm across and the one ounce 32.7 mm, so a ruler settles any doubt about size.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 1987 Gold Eagle?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure gold: 1/10 troy ounce in the $5 coin, 1/4 troy ounce in the $10 coin, 1/2 troy ounce in the $25 coin and one troy ounce in the $50 coin. The alloy is 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper.
- How many 1987 Gold Eagles were made?
- 1,045,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 290,896 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 1987 Gold Eagle worth more than its gold?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. Collector versions in their original packaging bring a small premium.
- Is the Gold Eagle legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($5, $10, $25 and $50), but nobody spends them: the gold is worth far more than the face value.
The Gold Eagle in 1987
MCMLXXXVII coins show how quickly the first rush cooled. One ounce bullion sales slipped to 1,045,500, still above a million, but the smaller sizes fell much harder. The half ounce dropped from 599,566 in 1986 to 131,255, the quarter ounce from 726,031 to 269,255 and the tenth ounce from 912,609 to 580,266. Buyers clearly preferred the full ounce once the novelty wore off. Even so, one ounce sales topped a million for the second year running, something that would not happen again until 1998.
The Mint broadened the proof line by adding a half ounce proof, which sold 143,398, alongside a one ounce proof at 147,498. Both totals are far below the 1986 proof figure, a sign that the first year's collector excitement had settled. Bullion demand for the fractional sizes would fall much further in 1988. With just two proofs and four bullion coins, 1987 is still a simple year to sort out. The half ounce is the size to look at closely, because both of its versions are the scarcest coins of the year.
1987 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 1,045,500 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 1987. That ranks 33rd lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 1987 bullion sales were 1.3 times fewer than 1986 and 2.2 times the 1988 figure.
Collector versions dated 1987 add up to 290,896 coins across 2 versions. The scarcest is the 1987 1/2 oz proof at 143,398; the most plentiful is the 1987 1 oz proof at 147,498.
Fractional bullion that year: 580,266 1/10 oz coins, 269,255 1/4 oz coins and 131,255 1/2 oz coins. None of the fractional sizes is scarce.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Gold Eagle weighs 33.931 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.393 g (1/10 oz), 8.483 g (1/4 oz) and 16.965 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Gold is not magnetic, so a coin that sticks is not genuine. A coin that does not stick still needs the other checks.
- Look for the mint mark. Bullion strikes have none; proofs and burnished coins carry a small letter. A mirror field with frosted design means a proof, a soft satin look means burnished.
- Handle it by the edge and never clean it. Fingerprints, wiping and polishing leave marks that cost collector versions much of their premium.
- Keep the original capsule, box and certificate with collector versions. Coins that come with them are easier to sell and more likely to bring their full premium.
The scarcest 1987 issue is the half ounce bullion coin at 131,255, just below the half ounce proof at 143,398. Neither is rare in absolute terms. Bullion halves in sharp uncirculated condition can bring a small premium over metal value, since many were handled and scuffed over the years. The proofs trade for a small premium in their original packaging and a little less if the box or certificate has gone missing. A cleaned proof loses much of its appeal, since the mirror surface scratches easily.
Roman numeral years (1986 to 1991)
The Gold Eagle arrived in 1986 with a bang. Bullion buyers took 1,362,650 one ounce coins and more than half a million of each fractional size that first year, while the Mint sold 446,290 one ounce proofs. Every coin from these first six years carries its date in Roman numerals, from MCMLXXXVI to MCMXCI, which makes the era easy to spot at a glance.
Proofs were added a size at a time. Only the one ounce came in proof in 1986. The half ounce joined it in 1987 and from 1988 all four sizes were offered, with sales per size landing between about 44,000 and 144,000 from 1988 to 1991. Collectors were buying steadily even as bullion demand for the smaller coins faded fast.
That fade is what makes this era interesting. The half ounce bullion coin fell from 599,566 in 1986 to 131,255 in 1987, then to 45,000 in 1988, 44,829 in 1989, 31,000 in 1990 and finally 24,100 in 1991, the lowest bullion figure from 1986 to 2024. The quarter ounce followed a similar path down to 36,100. Bullion coins were bought for their metal and handled freely, so nice examples of these fractional dates are harder to find than the mintages suggest. Collectors pay a premium for them, larger for coins in high certified grades. The one ounce bullion coins of the period, made in the hundreds of thousands or more, mostly trade on their gold content.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Gold Eagle |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | 22 karat gold (91.67%) |
| Alloy | 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper |
| Sizes | 1/10 oz ($5, 3.393 g, 16.5 mm); 1/4 oz ($10, 8.483 g, 22 mm); 1/2 oz ($25, 16.965 g, 27 mm); 1 oz ($50, 33.931 g, 32.7 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 33.931 g, 32.7 mm |
Frequently asked questions
When was the first half ounce proof Gold Eagle made?
In 1987. The Mint struck 143,398 half ounce proofs that year, the first proof in any size other than the one ounce. Tenth and quarter ounce proofs followed in 1988, completing the set of four sizes.
Is the 1987 one ounce Gold Eagle valuable?
As bullion it trades on its gold content, since 1,045,500 were struck. The one ounce proof, with 147,498 made, brings a small premium if it still has its original box and certificate.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.