Editor’s Note: This article and others can be found on the NGC website, ngccoin.com

The U. S. Mint’s American Eagle gold bullion coin program debuted in 1986, and this called for the creation of several new collar sizes for the four-piece line-up. There was bound to be some trial and error as a result, yet the number of mint error coins actually escaping careful inspection at the mints has remained extremely small for the American Eagle series. This amazing gold one-ounce coin dated MCMLXXXVI (1986) is just such an error, a coin struck almost entirely out of the collar. In fact, just a trace of the collar’s reeding is visible along the reverse rim. Both sides reveal tripled images of all peripheral elements, as a consequence of the coin’s unrestrained expansion between strikes. It is the fate of many mint errors that manage to find their way to collectors to become damaged by the mint packaging equipment, due to the coins’ non-standard shape. This lovely specimen, however, is a gorgeous gem which has been certified by NGC as MS-69. It is boldly struck, fully lustrous and reveals just the faintest hint of milky toning. It is encapsulated in the EdgeView™ Holder, enabling viewing of the coin’s plain edge.