The American Silver Eagle coin is the top-selling silver bullion coin worldwide, and the official silver coin of the United States. When the United States Mint officially released the silver eagle in November 1986, nobody realized at the time how significant the demand would be with the first inventories selling out immediately. Since that time more than 500 million American Silver Eagle coins have been minted, and still remain highly popular with silver bullion investors and collectors.
What makes the American Silver Eagle so popular is the design. The obverse features a rendition of Adolph A Weinman`s Walking Liberty, a design that was used on the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, which was minted from 1916 – 1947. This design was so popular for so many years, the US Mint decided to bring it back to life. The reverse features John Mercanti`s “heraldic eagle”. This design was changed in 1921 with the bald eagle landing on a branch.
The American Silver Eagle coins were struck from the San Francisco Mint, the Philadelphia Mint, and the West Point Mint. The coins were produced in three different versions, bullion, proof, and uncirculated. The majority of the coins struck were brilliant uncirculated (BU). These are the most popular choice for silver bullion investors. The proof edition silver eagles are more popular with collectors. The uncirculated versions were issued as collectibles but only for a few select years.
The American Silver Eagle coins have a face value of $1 USD. Because they are a silver bullion “coin”, minted by the United Staes Mint ( a sovereign mint) the coins are considered legal tender. Although the coins have a $1 face value the coins are obviously worth much more because of the silver bullion content. Other silver eagle coins have a high value for other reasons having to do with collectability.
Although the premiums are high we strongly urge you to consider the American Silver Eagle as a ket part of your silver bullion holdings.