American Silver Eagles
The American Silver Eagle was introduced in 1986 as the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It has become popular worldwide with precious metals investors as well as collectors. Each coin contains one ounce of .999 fine silver. The obverse design of the coins is taken from Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty Half Dollar and the reverse of the coins features a heraldic eagle designed by John Mercanti.
The US Mint issues the bullion version of the coin to a network of authorized purchasers based on the spot price of silver plus a fixed mark up. Traditionally, collectible versions of the coin have also been made available for purchase directly from the Mint. From 1986 to 2008, proof Silver Eagles were produced and sold in quantity. In recent years, the heavy demand for bullion coins has resulted in a suspension of collector offerings.
During the course of the series and across bullion and collector versions, American Silver Eagles have been produced at the West Point, San Francisco, and Philadelphia Mint facilities. Coins have been produced in bullion version, collectible proof, collectible uncirculated, and reverse proof.
American Silver Eagle Coin Specifications
| Dates: | 1986-date |
| Mints: | Philadelphia |
| San Francisco | |
| West Point | |
| Composition: | 99.9% silver |
| 0.01% copper | |
| Weight: | 31.101 grams |
| 1.000 ounces | |
| Diameter: | 40.6 mm |
| 1.598 inches |