The American Gold Eagle has been struck by the U.S. Mint since 1986 under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985. The front carries Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Lady Liberty, first drawn for the 1907 double eagle and still regarded as one of the great works of American coin design. Each coin holds the stated weight of pure gold, backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government for weight and content.

The American Silver Eagle, struck since the same year, holds one troy ounce of .999 fine silver per coin. The front carries Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty, first drawn for the 1916 half dollar. Coins struck from 2021 forward carry Emily Damstra’s landing eagle on the back. The Silver Eagle is the most widely traded silver coin in the world.

The IRS rule for gold in a retirement account is .995 fine or higher. The American Gold Eagle sits below that line at .9167 fine. On the letter of the rule, it should not qualify. Congress wrote it into the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 by name, making it the one coin below the purity line the IRS allows inside a self-directed IRA. The reason is the coin’s legal tender status and the full faith and credit of the United States standing behind the weight.

The 22-karat alloy also holds up better in storage than a soft .9999 fine coin. Over decades in a vault, a coin that resists small scratches preserves its value on resale. The gold content never changes. What changes is whether the coin looks struck yesterday or looks handled. The American Eagle looks struck yesterday far longer than any pure coin.

The U.S. Mint strikes American Eagles in three finishes, and each serves a different kind of buyer. Bullion coins carry the standard finish and the lowest amount over spot. They are struck in large runs, and their value is tied to the weight of the metal. For a retirement account or a preservation position, this is the finish we recommend.

Proof coins are struck several times on polished blanks to produce a mirror finish. They come in small runs, sell at a much higher amount over spot, and are typically sold straight from the U.S. Mint or through specialty dealers. Burnished coins, struck at West Point with a “W” mintmark, carry a matte-like finish and often come in limited mintages — the 2020-W World War II anniversary coin, for example, had a mintage of only 1,945 pieces.

Proof and burnished coins are a separate trade from bullion. They belong to collectors who buy for the finish and the mintage, not to long-view buyers who hold metal for its weight and purity. For the retirement account and the preservation position, stay with bullion. See the IRA-eligible products sheet for the full list of coins the IRS allows inside a retirement account.