Numismatic

1986 1 oz American Gold Eagle MS-69 NGC (First Year of Issue)

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The year 1986 marked the historic debut of the American Gold Eagle series, a landmark release backed by the United States government. This inaugural fifty-dollar coin contains exactly one troy ounce of gold, struck with a purity of 0.9167. This specific specimen has been professionally certified and graded as Mint State 69, indicating an exceptionally well-preserved coin with nearly imperceptible imperfections. The obverse features a celebrated depiction of Lady Liberty walking forward, bathed in the rays of the rising sun. This design is adapted from the famous early twentieth-century gold double eagle. Inscribed on this side is the word LIBERTY and the year of issue rendered in Roman numerals as MCMLXXXVI. On the reverse, a detailed scene designed by Miley Busiek showcases a family of bald eagles. A male eagle is captured mid-flight, carrying an olive branch back to a nest that holds a female eagle and her young. The reverse also bears the traditional national mottos IN GOD WE TRUST and E PLURIBUS UNUM, alongside the weight and denomination inscriptions.