MEASURED · 5 OCTOBER 2026

How much is a gold coin worth? The gold in every US gold coin

The gold in a coin is worth its weight in gold, and the weight was fixed by law when the coin was struck, so that part of the value can be worked out to the cent. Below: the gold in every US gold coin at the latest London price, why old coins are all worth the same multiple of their face value, and which “gold” dollars and quarters hold no gold at all.

The short answer

Gold values at the London (LBMA) afternoon gold price of $4,163.40 per troy ounce on 29 September 2026, 23% below the record of $5,405.00 on 29 January 2026. For today’s value, put today’s price into the calculator.

Gold coin melt value calculator

Enter how many of each coin you have. The result is the value of the gold in them at the price in the box, before any collector value.

Old US gold coins, struck until 1933

All six are 90% gold, and all six held 201.4 times their face value on 29 September 2026. That is not a coincidence. The coins were made to hold one dollar of gold for each dollar of face value at the official price of $20.67 an ounce: a double eagle’s 0.9675 ounces × $20.67 = $20.00. So the gold in any of them is worth its face value × the gold price ÷ $20.67.

Weights and gold content from NGC’s US gold coin melt table, for coins at full weight: a worn coin holds slightly less. Coins dated before 1834 were made to a heavier standard and are not covered.

Modern US gold coins

The American Gold Eagle is 22 karat: each size holds exactly the stated weight of pure gold (1, ½, ¼ or ⅒ ounce, set in 31 U.S.C. § 5112), with copper and silver added, which is why a 1 oz Eagle weighs 33.931 g. The Buffalo is 99.99% gold. Their face values ($5 to $50) are legal tender amounts far below the gold. These coins are sold above the gold price; we did not measure the premium.

“Gold” dollars and quarters with no gold

• Sacagawea, Native American and Presidential dollars (2000 onwards) are gold in colour only. The US Mint lists their metal as manganese brass. They are worth one dollar unless they are a collectible variety.
• Gold-coloured quarters were plated after they left the Mint. The US Mint says it has never produced or sold gold-plated coins. The plating is thin, so the coin is worth 25 cents as money.
• The real gold dollar (1849-1889) and the quarter eagle ($2.50) are small and easy to mistake for jewellery; they hold 0.04837 and 0.12094 ounces of gold.

A double eagle’s gold, 1900 to 2026

At the official price of $20.67 the gold in a $20 coin was worth $20.00. Executive Order 6102, signed on 5 April 1933, required people to hand in their gold coins by 1 May 1933, except up to $100 each and coins with a recognised value to collectors. The Gold Reserve Act of 30 January 1934 set the price at $35, which made the gold in a double eagle worth $33.86. Americans could own gold freely again from 1974. Since the London price floated in 1971:

The value moves with the gold price every day. Over the last 252 London prices, the gold in a double eagle moved about $40.24 on a typical day and $126.68 or more on 1 day in 20. Since 1971 gold was lower a year later in 38.6% of all one-year stretches and lost 20% or more in 5.6%. The full record is in gold price history.

Before you sell

• Look up the date first. For coins struck before 1934, the date, the mint mark and the condition can be worth far more than the gold. Check a grading service’s price guide, such as PCGS or NGC. We did not measure collector values.
• Use the gold value as the floor. Ask what a buyer pays and compare it with the calculator; the gap is what selling costs you.
• Count the tax. The IRS treats coins and bullion as collectibles: a gain held for more than a year is taxed at up to 28%.

The same arithmetic for bars is in how much is a gold bar worth?, for jewellery in how much is 14k gold worth?, and for silver coins in how much is a silver dollar worth? This page is a measurement, not a forecast or personal advice.

How we measured it

Price: the LBMA Gold Price PM in US dollars, every fix from 16 August 1971 to 29 September 2026; before that, the official US price. On 5 October 2026 the LBMA price feed refused our scripted request, so the latest price is 29 September 2026, not today. Gold content: NGC’s US gold coin melt table, read on 5 October 2026; for the Gold Eagle and Buffalo it matches 31 U.S.C. § 5112. History: the Federal Reserve’s history of the Gold Reserve Act and the text of Executive Order 6102. Values are for the gold only.

Common questions