Photo Credit: APMEX
2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box
Buy It Now Price: $2,882.46 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This magnificent, heirloom-quality 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes with its original, satin-lined, U.S. mint-issued packaging and certificate of authenticity.
-American gold eagle proof coins are a specially struck version of the bullion series and are intended exclusively for collectors. Carefully prepared coin blanks are hand-fed into a die-press where they are struck a minimum of two times at low speed. As a result, these proof coins possess a mirror-like background juxtaposed against frosted devices – a highly desirable phenomenon called “cameo proof” by coin collectors.
-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set consists of four pieces totaling 1.85 troy ounces of pure gold – a 1 troy ounce coin with a $50 face value, a 1/2 troy ounce coin with a $25 face value, a 1/4 troy ounce coin with a $10 face value and 1/10 troy ounce coin with a $5 face value. American gold eagle coins are all U.S. legal tender, although their bullion value far exceeds their face value.
-All American gold eagle coins are struck in solid 22 karat (91.67%) gold. The other alloying constituents are 5.33% copper and 3.00% silver. The small addition of silver to the alloy ensures a rich, deep golden color without any reddish overtones from the copper.
-Mintages for the individual coins in the 2002 American gold eagle proof set were very low, ranging from just under 27,000 to around 40,000 pieces. Although the U.S. mint does not publish the number of proof sets released, we know that it is limited to the lowest mintage coin of the series. In this case, it is the 2002 1/2 troy ounce American gold eagle proof coin with a population of only 26,464.
-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes in its original presentation case. Unfortunately, many of these proof sets have been removed from their mint-issued boxes and broken up for third-party certification by NGC or PCGS. Although it isn’t widely recognized yet in the coin collecting community, I feel that original mint packaging will be become increasing desirable in the future.
-All American gold eagle proof coins are eligible for purchase in your precious metal IRA! The precious metal IRA is one of the only ways for U.S. citizens to legally own tangible assets in their retirement accounts.
-With spot gold currently trading at $1,330.70 a troy ounce, this 2002 American gold eagle proof set contains $2,461.80 worth of gold. This translates into a premium over spot of about 17.1%, which is very reasonable considering the low mintage for this date in the series. Therefore, I believe the buy-it-now price of $2,882.46 leaves ample room for future price appreciation.
Cons:
-American gold eagle proof coins are significantly more expensive than their bullion counterparts. You can expect to pay a premium between 3% and 8% over spot for a 1 troy ounce bullion American gold eagle coin versus 17.1% for this 2002 American gold eagle proof set. However, these proof coins possess substantial numismatic investment potential while their bullion counterparts do not.
