2011 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2011 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2011
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 857,000
- Versions
- 9
- 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 2011 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2011 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 2011 1/2 oz bullion (70,000) 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 2011 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 857,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 70,000 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 80,000 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 350,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 48,306 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 8,729 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 26,781 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 28,782 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 42,697 | Small premium |
Nine versions carry the 2011 date. The four bullion coins have no mint mark. The four proofs have mirror fields, frosted design and a mint mark. The one burnished coin is a one ounce piece with a W mint mark and a satin finish. Proofs and the burnished coin were sold in capsules with boxes and certificates. A one ounce 2011 with a W needs a second look: mirror fields mean proof, a matte satin surface means burnished. The proof and burnished one ounce are the same size and weight, so only the surface separates them.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2011 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 2011 Gold Eagles were made?
- 857,000 one ounce bullion coins plus 155,295 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2011 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 2011
2011 marked the return of the burnished W Gold Eagle, now in the one ounce size only. The Mint sold 8,729 of them, a long way below the 45,053 of 2006. The fractional burnished coins of 2006 to 2008 were not continued. The one ounce only pattern has held every year since. It was the lowest burnished figure up to that point, just below the 2008 quarter ounce.
Bullion sales eased from 2010 but remained strong, with 857,000 one ounce, 350,000 tenth ounce, 80,000 quarter ounce and 70,000 half ounce coins. Gold reached record highs in 2011, which kept bullion buyers busy. Proof sales came to 42,697 tenth ounce, 28,782 quarter ounce, 26,781 half ounce and 48,306 one ounce, lower than 2010 in every size. The drop in collector sales that began this year would continue for most of the decade. That makes the 2011 coins a starting point for the lower collector mintages that followed. Total bullion production came to 1,357,000 coins, down from 1,727,000 in 2010.
2011 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 857,000 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2011. That ranks 31st lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2011 bullion sales were 1.3 times fewer than 2010 and 1.3 times the 2012 figure.
Collector versions dated 2011 add up to 155,295 coins across 5 versions. The scarcest is the 2011-W 1 oz uncirculated (burnished) at 8,729; the most plentiful is the 2011 1 oz proof at 48,306.
Fractional bullion that year: 350,000 1/10 oz coins, 80,000 1/4 oz coins and 70,000 1/2 oz coins. The 1/2 oz is the scarce size of the year.
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 one ounce burnished coin, with 8,729 struck, is the scarcest 2011 Gold Eagle. It carries a collector premium over metal value, best with its box and certificate. The half ounce proof at 26,781 is next and carries a small premium, like the other proofs. Bullion coins trade near metal value, since they were struck in large numbers. Burnished coins should show an even satin surface with no spots. Coins that have been rubbed or cleaned lose their premium quickly, so handle them by the edge only.
One ounce burnished coins and shrinking proofs (2011 to 2020)
When the burnished W coin returned in 2011 it came in the one ounce size only, with 8,729 struck. Every year since has followed the same pattern. Through 2020 the burnished mintage stayed between 5,800 and 8,729, low enough that each of these coins carries a collector premium over metal value.
Proof sales fell sharply over the decade. The quarter and half ounce proofs, which sold more than 40,000 each in 2010, dropped to between about 12,700 and 15,800 from 2012 to 2015. In 2018 and 2019 the half ounce proof slipped below 10,000, with 9,961 and 9,454 struck. The 2017 one ounce proof managed just 9,245. For collectors this is the period when ordinary proofs started to become genuinely scarce.
Bullion demand swung with the gold market. One ounce sales ran from 857,000 in 2011 down to 108,000 in 2019, the lowest one ounce bullion figure of any year from 1986 to 2024. In 2020 the pandemic sent buyers back to physical gold and one ounce sales jumped to 747,500. The same year the Mint issued a one ounce proof with a V75 privy mark for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Only 1,939 were sold, the lowest figure of any Gold Eagle from 1986 to 2024. For most finders, the bullion coins of this decade trade on their gold. The burnished and low mintage proof coins are where the premiums are.
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
What is a 2011 W burnished Gold Eagle?
A one ounce uncirculated coin with a satin finish and W mint mark, struck at West Point. Only 8,729 were made, making it the scarcest 2011 Gold Eagle. It came boxed with a certificate.
Were fractional burnished Gold Eagles made in 2011?
No. When burnished coins returned in 2011 after two years off, only the one ounce size was offered. Fractional burnished coins exist only for 2006, 2007 and 2008. The one ounce size has continued since.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.