1998 American Platinum Eagle

Every 1998 Platinum Eagle version

Four bullion sizes with no mint mark: 39,525 tenth ounce, 38,887 quarter ounce, 32,419 half ounce and 133,002 one ounce coins. Four proofs with a W: 19,847, 14,873, 13,836 and 14,912 in the same order. Telling them apart is easy this year. If the reverse shows the lighthouse and moon, it's a proof. If it shows Rogers's soaring eagle, it's bullion. The obverse with Liberty's face is the same on both. The fractional proofs share the same New England scene, just reduced in size, so the design alone tells you it's a 1998 proof.

Quick answers

How much platinum is in a 1998 Platinum Eagle?

Each coin contains its stated weight of pure platinum: 1/10 troy ounce in the $10 coin, 1/4 troy ounce in the $25 coin, 1/2 troy ounce in the $50 coin and one troy ounce in the $100 coin. The alloy is 99.95% platinum.

How many 1998 Platinum Eagles were made?

133,002 one ounce bullion coins plus 63,468 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).

Is the 1998 Platinum Eagle worth more than its platinum?

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 Platinum Eagle legal tender?

Yes. Each size carries a face value ($10, $25, $50 and $100), but nobody spends them: the platinum is worth far more than the face value.

The 1998 proof design

Bald eagle flying over New England and rocky beach town with light house; full moon in sky. Designer: Thomas D. Rogers.

1998 Platinum Eagle by the numbers

The Mint sold 133,002 one ounce bullion Platinum Eagles dated 1998. That ranks highest of the 19 bullion dates from 1997 to 2021.

Against the dates around it, 1998 bullion sales were 2.4 times the 1997 figure and 2.3 times the 1999 figure.

Collector versions dated 1998 add up to 63,468 coins across 4 versions. The scarcest is the 1998-W 1/2 oz proof at 13,836; the most plentiful is the 1998-W 1/10 oz proof at 19,847.

Fractional bullion that year: 39,525 1/10 oz coins, 38,887 1/4 oz coins and 32,419 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 Platinum Eagle weighs 31.12 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.112 g (1/10 oz), 7.78 g (1/4 oz) and 15.56 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
• Try a magnet. Platinum 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.

With its big mintage, the 1998 one ounce bullion coin is one of the easiest early Platinum Eagles to find and usually trades for a small premium over metal value. Proofs carry a collector premium and the New England design is popular as the start of the Vistas set. The half ounce proof at 13,836 is the lowest of the year. Keep proofs in their capsules, since a single fingerprint can turn into a permanent spot. Full four-coin 1998 proof sets in matching Mint packaging are the most appealing way to own the year.

Launch and the Vistas of Liberty (1997 to 2002)

The Platinum Eagle arrived in 1997 as the first platinum coin the US Mint had ever struck. It came in four sizes, 1/10, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 ounce, each in bullion and proof. In that first year both versions shared Thomas D. Rogers's soaring eagle on the reverse, with John Mercanti's Statue of Liberty on the obverse.

From 1998 the proofs went their own way. The Vistas of Liberty series put a bald eagle over a different American landscape each year: New England with a lighthouse in 1998, the Southeastern wetlands in 1999, Midwestern farmland in 2000, the saguaro cacti of the Southwest in 2001 and a lake ringed by Northwestern mountains in 2002. Rogers and Al Maletsky shared the designs. Bullion coins kept the original soaring eagle throughout, which is the quickest way to tell the two apart without a loupe.

Mintages in these years look large next to what came later. The 1998 one ounce bullion coin reached 133,002 pieces, the highest of the early run, while the 2000 one ounce bullion fell to just 10,003. Proofs drifted downward from about 20,000 one ounce coins in 1997 to under 10,000 by 2002. For collectors, the appeal is the complete Vistas set in all four sizes, which is still achievable but takes some patience to assemble in matching condition. If you inherited a group of early Platinum Eagles, sort them by reverse first. Anything with a landscape behind the eagle is a proof from 1998 to 2002.

Mintage chart

Specifications

Frequently asked questions