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What legal tender means (and what it does not)
Legal tender is money a court will recognize for a debt. It does not force a shop to take a sack of pennies. It does not set the price of gold.
Legal tender means a court will treat that money as valid payment of a debt, if the debt is in that currency.
In the United States, Federal Reserve notes and circulating US coins are legal tender for dollar debts. That is a court rule about dollars. It is not a rule about gold.
What it does not mean
A private shop does not have to sell you something. They can refuse a sale. They can post “no pennies” or “no $100 bills.” That is ordinary retail.
Legal tender does not fix the price of gold or silver. Those trade at spot plus a premium.
A Silver Eagle has a $1 face value. Nobody sells it for a dollar. The face number makes it a coin under the law. The market ignores it and prices the ounce. Face value. What money is.
When people get angry about this
Someone brings a bag of dollar coins or a Gold Eagle and says “it says fifty dollars, you have to take it at fifty.” No. The shop is not a court. They are offering to buy metal or to make a sale. You can say no. They can say no.
If you owe a dollar debt and you tender lawful money, that is a different conversation with a lawyer. This page is about the counter.
Related
What a dollar is. What a banknote is. Proof vs bullion.
More on the coin and money library.