Gold Melt Value Calculator
Enter the quantity of each gold coin you have to get an instant melt value at current gold spot. Covers US classic gold (Gold Dollars through Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles), American Gold Eagles in every denomination, Gold Buffalos, Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, Sovereigns, and more.
| Coin | Quantity | Gold (oz) | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
Gold dollar ($1)Type 1, 2, 3 — 1849–1889 | 0.0484 | $223.24 | |
Quarter Eagle ($2.50)Liberty, Indian Head — 1796–1929 | 0.1209 | $558.16 | |
Half Eagle ($5)Liberty, Indian Head — 1795–1929 | 0.2419 | $1,116.28 | |
Eagle ($10)Liberty, Indian Head — 1795–1933 | 0.4838 | $2,232.60 | |
Double Eagle ($20)Liberty, Saint-Gaudens — 1850–1933 | 0.9675 | $4,465.20 | |
American Gold Eagle 1 oz$50 face, 1986–present, 22kt with copper/silver alloy | 1 | $4,615.19 | |
American Gold Eagle 1/2 oz$25 face | 0.5 | $2,307.60 | |
American Gold Eagle 1/4 oz$10 face | 0.25 | $1,153.80 | |
American Gold Eagle 1/10 oz$5 face | 0.1 | $461.52 | |
American Gold Buffalo 1 oz$50 face, 2006–present, .9999 fine pure gold | 1 | $4,615.19 | |
Krugerrand 1 ozSouth Africa, 1967–present, 22kt | 1 | $4,615.19 | |
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf 1 oz1979–present, .9999 fine | 1 | $4,615.19 | |
British Gold Sovereign£1, 22kt — 7.988 g total weight | 0.2354 | $1,086.42 | |
Mexican 50 Pesos"Centenario" — 1921, restruck 1943–1972, 90% gold | 1.2057 | $5,564.53 | |
| Total | — | 8.1535 oz | $37,630.09 |
How this calculator works
Every gold coin has a published pure-gold content — its weight times its fineness, converted to troy ounces. Multiply the gold oz by the current spot price and you have the melt value: the raw worth of the metal in the coin, before any collector premium.
The figures used here come from US Mint and Royal Mint specifications: a $20 Double Eagle contains 0.9675 troy oz, a $10 Eagle 0.48375 oz, a $5 Half Eagle 0.24187 oz, a $2.50 Quarter Eagle 0.12094 oz, and a $1 Gold Dollar 0.04837 oz. Modern bullion is keyed to its stated pure-gold weight: a 1 oz Gold Eagle contains exactly 1 troy oz of pure gold despite the heavier 22kt alloy, and a 1 oz Gold Buffalo at .9999 fineness contains the same 1 oz in a lighter 24kt format.
The override box on the spot card lets you model future scenarios — enter $3,500 to see what your stack would be worth if gold hit that level. Live spot pulled from /metals.
Classic US gold vs. modern bullion
US classic gold(1795–1933) trades at melt plus a collector premium tied to date, mint, and grade. Common-date Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles in worn grades trade near melt; key dates and high-grade examples carry substantial premiums. Once you step into 1907 Ultra High Reliefs, 1909-S Indian Half Eagles, or rare branch-mint dates, you're paying for numismatics, not metal.
Modern bullion — Gold Eagles, Buffalos, Krugerrands, Maple Leafs — trades at spot plus a small premium that varies by dealer and product. Fractional bullion (1/2, 1/4, 1/10 oz) typically carries a higher per-ounce premium than 1-ounce coins because of the higher minting cost relative to gold content.
For collector premiums on specific dates and grades, see the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle value guide and the US gold coins catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much gold is in a $20 Saint-Gaudens or Liberty Double Eagle?
- A US Double Eagle ($20 gold piece) was struck in 90% gold and 10% copper, weighing 33.436 grams. Each contains exactly 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold. The same applies whether the coin is a Liberty Head (1850–1907) or a Saint-Gaudens (1907–1933) Double Eagle — both share the standard $20 gold composition.
- How much gold is in an American Gold Eagle?
- An American Gold Eagle is 22-karat gold (alloyed with copper and silver for durability) but the stated weight refers to pure gold content. A 1-oz Gold Eagle ($50 face value) contains exactly 1 troy ounce of pure gold; a 1/2 oz contains 0.5 oz; a 1/4 oz contains 0.25 oz; a 1/10 oz contains 0.1 oz. The total coin weight is heavier because of the alloy, but melt value is keyed to the pure-gold figure.
- What is the difference between a Gold Eagle and a Gold Buffalo?
- The American Gold Eagle (1986–present) is 22-karat (.9167 fine) and contains the stated weight in pure gold. The American Gold Buffalo (2006–present) is 24-karat (.9999 fine) — a 1-oz Buffalo is essentially pure gold by weight (33.105 g) versus the heavier alloyed 1-oz Eagle (33.93 g total). Both contain 1 troy oz of pure gold; the Buffalo is preferred by some bullion buyers for its higher purity, while the Eagle is more commonly traded.
- What are British Sovereigns and how much gold do they contain?
- A British Gold Sovereign is a 22-karat coin issued since 1817 with a face value of £1. It weighs 7.98805 grams total, of which 7.32 g is pure gold — about 0.2354 troy ounces. Sovereigns trade close to melt and are a popular fractional-gold option globally. Half Sovereigns (£0.50) contain half that — about 0.1177 troy oz pure gold — and quarter Sovereigns about 0.0588 oz.
- How does melt value differ from collector value?
- Melt value is just the pure-gold content × spot price. Collector value is what someone will pay for the coin as a numismatic piece — driven by date, mintmark, condition, design, and rarity. For common-date Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles in worn grades, the two are similar. For a 1933 Saint-Gaudens (only one legal example exists) collector value is in the eight-figure range; the most recent confirmed sale was $18.87M in 2021. For 1907 Ultra High Relief Double Eagles, collector value is hundreds of thousands of dollars over melt.
- Where do you get the gold spot price?
- The live spot price comes from public metals market feeds, refreshed multiple times per business day. You can override the price in the calculator above to model "what if gold hits $3,000?" or any other scenario.
Krugerrand image: Gruener Panda, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.