It is easy to lump the 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz Uncirculated American Gold Eagle Coins together as underachievers when compared to the 1 oz and 1/10 oz gold coins. However, if you look more closely at these two weights, you’ll see that the 1/4 oz gold coin does stand out compared to its other counterpart among the larger fractional-ounce coins.
While the history of the 1/2 oz Uncirculated Gold Eagle is replete with mintage figures that fall within a very tight range, the 1/4 oz Uncirculated American Gold Eagle has seen both steady periods and periods of wild swings that do help separate it from the 1/2 oz gold coin in the history of this series.
For example, the difference between the highest (726,031) and lowest (34,004) mintages in the 1/4 oz American Gold Eagle Series is nearly 700,000 coins, while the difference in the 1/2 oz series is closer to 500,000 coins. Even if you took the two highest mintage dates out of each series, the difference between high and low for 1/4 oz Gold Eagles is 230,000 coins, while that same differential for 1/2 oz Gold Eagles is just over 100,000 coins.
As was common with the other coins in this series, the 1/4 oz Uncirculated Gold Eagle saw its highest periods of demand in 1986-1987, during the Y2K crisis in the late 1990s, and during the Great Recession. Unlike the other coins, the 1/4 oz Gold Eagle saw another surge as its records during the geopolitical turmoil of 2015-2016 registered high mintage marks for this weight. The highest mintages recorded in this weight include:
Just like the other coins in the Uncirculated American Gold Eagle Series, the 1/4 oz gold Eagle saw its demand drop as economic conditions in the United States and around the world improved. The lowest mintages recorded in this series include:
If you have any questions about the gold coins of the 1/4 oz Uncirculated American Gold Eagle Series, please feel free to ask. JM Bullion customer service can assist you at 800-276-6508, online using our live chat, and via our email address.