American Silver Eagle Coins

About United States Silver Eagle Bullion Coins

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. The coin was first issued in the year 1986 and has continued to be issued each subsequent year. These are the only silver bullion coins guaranteed by the United States government for weight, content, and purity.

The series was intended to be a way for precious metals investors to obtain silver, but over the years it has also become a favorite of coin collectors. The design used is the beautiful Walking Liberty design which was previously used on the half dollar coin until 1947. The reverse of the coin is a newly designed Bald Eagle with 13 stars.

Coin Distribution and Sales

Silver Eagle bullion coins are distributed by the US Mint to a network of authorized bullion dealers. The US Mint does not sell bullion coins directly to the public. The reason for this is because the authorized dealer network is intended to create a liquid market for the coins. They must both buy and sell coins for prices based on the market value of the silver content.

The US Mint has also been issuing collectible proof versions of the Silver Eagle since 1986. These are minted for collectors with a special cameo proof finish. This features frosted raised elements and mirrored background elements. The coins are minted in smaller numbers and are more expensive than their bullion counterparts. These are sold directly to the public from the United States Mint.

Key Date Silver Eagle

The rarest coin of the Silver Eagle series is the 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle. This coin was only included with the 1995 Proof Gold Eagle Set. As a result, a mere 30,125 coins were produced. This coin is always in demand with Silver Eagle collections who view this as the key date coin of the series.