A Tenth of an Ounce of Canadian Gold
The 2020 Bald Eagle is a 1/10 troy ounce gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint, struck in .9999 fine gold at just 16 mm across, smaller than a US dime. It is legal tender in Canada at 5 dollars, it belongs to the RCM’s Birds of Prey series, and the eagle-in-flight reverse was used for 2020 alone.
The Eagle and the Shoreline
The reverse shows a bald eagle diving on unseen prey, wings stretched wide and head turned down as its talons swing forward, with a line of conifers along the right field placing the scene over northern water. CANADA 2020 runs across the top with the 9999 fineness below it, the designer’s initials CD sit by the wingtip, and FINE GOLD 1/10 OZ OR PUR wraps the lower rim in English and French. The obverse carries Susanna Blunt’s uncrowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the RCM’s fine radial-line field.
What a Fractional Coin Costs
A tenth of an ounce is the priciest way to buy gold by the ounce. The RCM spends nearly as much on dies, striking and handling for a 16 mm coin as for a full ounce, and that cost lands on a tenth of the metal. Every fractional gold coin carries this premium, from every mint. Nobody buys a 1/10 oz coin to get gold cheaply.
Why Collectors Watch This One
It is sovereign gold, .9999 fine, with the security engraving and radial-line background the RCM puts on its bullion, and it is legal tender at home. The Bald Eagle reverse ran for one year inside the Birds of Prey set, so it was struck in far smaller numbers than the Maple Leaf, and RCM wildlife issues have a following that the plain Maple Leaf does not.
Specifications
The coin is 1/10 troy ounce of .9999 fine gold, 16 mm across with a reeded edge, struck to Brilliant Uncirculated standard by the Royal Canadian Mint with a 5 dollar Canadian face value. It is part of the 2020 Birds of Prey series. See the Specifications tab for the full detail and current packaging.
Canadian Bald Eagle Gold Coin FAQ
Why does a 1/10 oz coin cost so much more per ounce than a 1 oz coin?
Because minting a small coin costs almost as much as minting a large one. The dies, the press time and the handling barely change with size, so on a tenth-ounce coin that fixed cost is spread across a tenth of the gold. This is true of every fractional coin.
Is it real gold and real legal tender?
Yes to both. It holds a tenth of an ounce of .9999 fine gold and it is an official 5 dollar coin of Canada, struck by the Royal Canadian Mint. The gold is worth far more than 5 dollars, so the face value is legal standing, not a spending price.
How rare is the 2020 Bald Eagle?
The eagle reverse was used for one year only, as one issue in the RCM’s Birds of Prey series of fractional gold coins. It was struck in smaller numbers than Canada’s Maple Leaf bullion, though the mint has not published a figure for this coin.
What condition are these coins in?
They are Brilliant Uncirculated 2020 coins. Gold does not tarnish, but a small BU coin can pick up faint contact marks in minting and handling, and these have been traded since 2020. It is also a tiny coin, so handle it over a soft surface and keep it in its flip.
Is this coin IRA eligible?
Yes. At .9999 fine and struck by a sovereign mint, it clears the gold standard for a precious metals IRA, and a custodian can hold it the same as a fractional Maple Leaf or Gold Eagle.
Adding Canadian gold to the stack? The rest of our run from tenth-ounce up to full ounce.
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