American Silver Eagle

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American Silver Eagle
Face Value:	1 U.S. dollar
Mass:	31.103 g
Diameter:	40.60 mm
Thickness:	2.98 mm
Edge:	201 reeds
Composition:	99.9% Ag
Obverse

Design:	Liberty walking
Designer:	Adolph A. Weinman
Design Date:	1916
Reverse

Design:	Heraldic Eagle with Shield
Designer:	John Mercanti
Design Date:	1986

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint in 1986. It is struck only in the 1 troy oz denomination which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of .999 pure silver. It is authorized by the United States Congress and is backed by the United States Mint for weight and content. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin may be used to fund Individual Retirement Account investments. The United States Mint also produces a proof version for coin collectors. Mintage has been from three sites. One is the Philadelphia mint, and some of those issued there carry a "P" mintmark. In the early years of the series the San Francisco mint issued proofs and these have an "S." More recent proofs are from the mint at West Point, New York. The latter have a "W" on the reverse, as illustrated here.

1 Design
2 Value
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Design

The design on the obverse has been borrowed from the "Walking Liberty" design by Adolph A. Weinman, which was originally used on the United States' half-dollar coin from 1916 to 1947. This was probably the public's favorite design on any United States silver coin; hence the choice of this design for the Silver Eagle. The reverse portrays a heraldic eagle and was designed by John Mercanti.

[edit] Value

Mintages, and thus prices, of uncirculated and proof specimens have varied widely, and the potential collector is advised to check a standard reference book before buying them. Generally the business strikes have minted in the millions, while the proofs were issued in the hundreds of thousands. Thus, most dates are not particularly expensive, although some of the early 1990s proofs sell for over $100. Also, the special 1995W issue (30,125 sold) is worth several thousand dollars. The 2006 20th anniversary boxed set, with uncirculated, proof, and reverse proof pieces, had a 250,000 mintage. As of late 2006 it is selling for just under $200.