Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is proud to have certified 1,000 American Gold Eagles and American Silver Eagles from a historic transition in the coins’ designs. Known as the 2021 American Eagle at Dusk and at Dawn 35th Anniversary coins, they are being offered by the US Mint through Stack’s Bowers Galleries on September 1, 2022. Bidding is already underway; the auction house is waiving the buyer’s premium.
The coins are from a monumental changeover in the designs for the Gold and Silver Eagles that took place in 2021. Recognizing their importance to the numismatic community, the Mint held a special striking ceremony for the final Gold and Silver Eagles with the original design and the first ones with the new design. The presses were personally operated by David J. Ryder, who was Mint Director at the time, and Mint officials carefully documented the order in which these coins were struck.
More than 421 million Type 1 Silver Eagles and more than 21 million Type 1 Gold Eagles have been struck, so vibrant competition is expected among bidders who recognize the opportunity to own the last coin struck. Similarly, with the Type 2 coins opening a new chapter in numismatic history with a design that could be in use for decades, these coins could shatter the record price for any Silver and Gold Eagle.
This is the first time that NGC has been able to identify the first and last coins struck in a modern US Mint series. NGC has authenticated, graded, and attributed these Gold and Silver Eagles (including the order of their striking) on a special NGC label created exclusively for these coins. The NGC label shows an eagle from each of the four reverses of these coins:
- The Type 1 (or T-1) Silver Eagle struck from 1986 to 2021 that shows a heraldic eagle, designed by 12th US Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti
- The Type 1 (or T-1) Gold Eagle struck from 1986 to 2021 that shows a family of eagles, designed by Miley (Busiek) Tucker-Frost
- The Type 2 (or T-2) Silver Eagle struck beginning in 2021 that shows an eagle landing with its wings spread, which was designed by Emily Damstra and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso
- The Type 2 (or T-2) Gold Eagle struck beginning in 2021 that shows an impressive eagle’s head, designed by Jennie Norris and sculpted by Renata Gordon
NGC was selected by Stack’s Bowers Galleries to grade and certify the very last 250 of the Type 1 Silver Eagles ever struck as well as the very first 250 of the Type 2 Silver Eagles ever struck. In addition to these historic Silver Eagles, NGC was selected to grade and certify the final 250 of the 1-ounce Type 1 Gold Eagles ever struck as well as the first 250 of the 1-ounce Type 2 Gold Eagles ever struck.
“One of my greatest achievements was overseeing the transformation of the Gold and Silver Eagles for their 35th anniversary,” said David J. Ryder, who was the 34th and 39th Director of the US Mint and is now one of the most prominent signers in the NGC Signature Label program. “We made sure this group of coins captured the excitement that this milestone represents to the numismatic community.”
The Gold and Silver Eagles are the flagship bullion coins of the United States. NGC has certified more than 13 million Silver Eagles and more than 1.8 million Gold Eagles, more than any other third-party grading service.
“NGC is honored to have certified these historic coins, whose obverses are rooted in America’s numismatic renaissance over a century ago and whose reverses carry on a tradition of excellence in design and execution,” said NGC Chairman Mark Salzberg. “With their important provenance attributed by NGC, these Gold and Silver Eagles truly are history in your hand.”
Some of these historic Eagles will be on display at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries booth at the ANA World’s Fair of Money, being held in the Chicago area August 16-20, 2022. To learn more about these coins, visit StacksBowers.com.
