United States $10 Eagle Gold Coins

As with other eagle denomination gold coins, the $10 full eagle was officially discontinued in 1933 when the United States moved away from the gold standard. Unlike the quarter eagle, however, the full and half eagles technically survived to the present day in the form of official Mint-issued bullion coins. Commemorative $10 eagles are also popular issues, with several runs occurring since the 1984 Summer Olympics eagle.

The term “eagle" was originally introduced by the Coinage Act of 1792, which officially established the Mint as a federal entity and laid out descriptions for the various denominations. An eagle was worth $10, with half eagles and quarter eagles at $5 and $2.50.

The $10 eagle saw several design changes throughout its legal tender era, although fewer than the denominations under it. Prominent eagle designs include the turban head, the Liberty head, and the Indian head. Unlike the other two eagle denominations which ceased production in 1929, full eagles were minted through 1933. The 1933 run is particularly hard to find.

Quick Facts

• While the eagle was officially decreed in the Coinage Act of 1792, it was not the first coin to be minted: that honor fell instead to the half dime
• A bimetallic gold and platinum eagle was issued in 2000 to commemorate the Library of Congress
• A 1907 Indian head eagle in excellent condition sold for just over $2 million in 2011. It's believed that all but 50 copies of this date were melted down in the '30s for their gold content