Eagles are considered bullion, so they are worth their face value plus a price over spot. Spot is the term for the price at which gold trades in its raw state over a 2 day period. Spot is the standard for the cost of the most precious of all precious metals.

As a usual practice, the Mint creates four weights: 1/10-oz, 1/4-oz, 1/2-oz, and 1-oz. But the Mint has not released any American Eagle Gold coins other than the 1 oz this year, and probably won't until close to 2010.

The 1-oz item is easily the largest coin by weight of all the coins. In certain years, the 1/10-oz Gold Eagles outsold the 1-oz coins, but if determined by weight, the 1-oz Eagles are the most popular.

The one-ounce Eagle is worth $50 as it is minted. This means that in theory the coin could be exchanged for $50 worth of goods. But, since eagles sell at prices slightly above the spot price of  gold (currently hovering around $1,000 per ounce), the coin's worth is actually a lot higher than its stated value of $50.

Presently, one-ounce Gold Eagle Coins are the most popular gold bullion coin in the U.S.A., making up over 80% of all products that are offered. Almost 12 million of these coins have sold between 1986 and the present. In 2008, the Mint sold more than 700,000 of these coins, and are expected to sell almost 1,000,000 of them this year. American Gold Eagle coins have become extremely popular with the general public since people have started to realize the financial intelligence of owning silver and gold.

Of course, no one is very happy with the financial state of the country right now, however anyone who was smart enough to own some American gold bullion coins in their portfolio, should find themselves more financially stable than are the people who elected not to have gold, silver or platinum bullion encompass a portion of their investment package.

These days individuals who invest in and collect gold bullion coins have a great number of choices as to where they can make potential coin purchases also. You will find that many savvy collectors and investors find that online auctions are a great place to uncover some really good deals on rare coins, as many reputable sellers are doing business on these auction sites themselves increasing the number of trusted sellers that you may choose to deal with.

The internet has become a tremendous resource to gather all kinds of important information about investment grade gold, silver and platinum coins. With websites providing up to the minute quotes on precious metal prices along with expert analysis of current trends, there is really no reason why anyone should not be able to get a fairly thorough online education on gold bullion products in a relatively short amount of time. You will also come to find that there is a growing online community of coin investors and collectors who are looking for to share ideas and resources with their fellow enthusiasts and can usually be found in online groups and forums. The members who make up these communities tend to be made up of collectors and part-time dealers who have an inventory of rare and investment grade coins. Alternatively you may come across coin collectors who are in a situation where they may be looking to sell either parts of their collections, or their collection in it's entirety. You will find that the time spent browsing the internet in search of different resources will in the end be a truly valuable use of your time as you begin to create associations with a number of different like-minded numismatists.

When choosing to focus on gold bullion coins, it should be noted that there is really no other bullion coin on the market today, that is as well-respected and highly sought-after as the Gold Eagle American coin. You will come to discover that the attention to detail that has been put into each and every one of these unique coins is nearly beyond belief. As you may already be aware, the obverse of the coin features the beautiful work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, as his depiction of Lady Liberty striding forward is with parallel. The highly detailed coin also features a view of the United States Capitol building set in the backdrop. The reverse of the gold eagle features a touching depiction of a bald American eagle landing near a nest that is holding a female eagle along with her hatchlings.

As you begin to acquire the knowledge and confidence to invest in higher grade coins and coin with a higher gold content, you should find that with so many choices in size and weight the American Eagle offers you a multitude of quality choices. They are made available in 1/10 -ounce, 1/4 -ounce, 1/2 -ounce and 1 -ounce denominations. As the price of gold seems to be constantly rising to new heights recently, finding really good deals has become a bit harder as the competition from fellow investors and collectors has become quite stiff. However, with time and patience along with good decision making, you will be able to continue to build up a quality collection of coins no matter the economic climate.