Are dollar coins made out of gold?

Answer 1

No, they're made of brass.

Think about it for a minute ... Gold sells for about $1200 per ounce. Dollar coins weigh about 0.30 oz which would make each one worth about 360 bucks if they were gold.

Even the most bone-headed bureaucrat wouldn't approve a coin that lost the government $359 each, AND mint billions of them to boot.

Answer 2

GOLD dollars (the kind made from 1849 to 1889) are real gold, with 10% copper added for hardness.

"GOLDEN" dollars (the kind made since 2000) are made of brass. After all, with the price of gold at over $1100/oz, even the most boneheaded government bureaucrat wouldn't authorize minting a coin with over $300 worth of gold in it and have it put into circulation for a buck ...

There is an American Eagle Gold coin minted out of one ounce of 22K gold, with values tied to the current price of gold.

Answer 3

Yes, the U.S. gold dollar coins produced between 1849 and 1889 were 90% pure gold. They are the smallest coins ever minted by the U.S. government (significantly smaller than a dime). They sell for about $100, today.

The "presidential dollar" coins and other US dollar coins made since 1932 are mostly copper with a brass cladding. They contain no gold, at all.

Answer 4

If it were gold it would be valuable, so no.

CorrectionThe US did issue $1 coins made of gold, but it was during the 19th century when gold circulating coins were issued in denominations up to $20.

$1 gold coins were discontinued in 1889, and except for collectors' commemorative coins made in the 1920s no gold $1 coins have been made since.

All so-called "golden" dollars made for circulation since 2000 are of course not real gold, just brass.

Answer 5

The more recent US dollar coins are not actually comprised of gold (like the Sacajawea coin). They only look golden. Coins during the gold rush from 1849-1889 were made of 90% gold and are the most commonly known US Coins to be made out of gold.

Answer 6

No. Modern dollar coins are mostly copper, with small amounts of zinc, nickel, and manganese.