increases in the price of gold made it profitable for the coins to be melted for their precious metal content, and in 1804, president thomas jefferson ended coinage of eagles; the denomination was not struck again for circulation for more than thirty years. four 1804-dated eagles were struck in 1834 for inclusion in sets of us coins to be given to foreign potentates. these 1804 "plain 4" coins differ from the eagles actually struck in 1804 in the way the "4" in the date is styled, and are among the most valuable us coins.