The American Gold Eagle series launched in 1986 under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, which mandated that all gold used in the coins come exclusively from newly mined domestic sources — a provision insisted upon by Western mining state senators protecting their constituents. The $5 denomination is the smallest in the four-coin AGE series, containing one-tenth troy ounce of gold.
The alloy specification — identical to the pre-1933 U.S. gold coinage standard — was a deliberate policy choice to distinguish AGEs from the .9999 fine Canadian Maple Leaf, which dominated the bullion market at the time of the series' inception.
The American Gold Eagle series launched in 1986 under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, which mandated that all gold used in the coins come exclusively from newly mined domestic sources — a provision insisted upon by Western mining state senators protecting their constituents. The $5 denomination is the smallest in the four-coin AGE series, containing one-tenth troy ounce of gold.
The alloy specification — identical to the pre-1933 U.S. gold coinage standard — was a deliberate policy choice to distinguish AGEs from the .9999 fine Canadian Maple Leaf, which dominated the bullion market at the time of the series' inception.