The American Silver Eagle (ASE) was first released in 1986 as part of the American Eagle bullion program. American Eagle bullion coins were authorized in 1985 and the first silver eagles were released on November 24, 1986, becoming immensely popular with both investors and collectors from the beginning.
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The Silver American Eagle coin is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful coins ever minted, and continues to be one of the most popular investment bullion coins sold today. Our low prices on American Silver Eagles, whether singles, US Mint Fresh Rolls, or Mint Sealed Monster Boxes, have made us a large dealer in these popular coins. Silver Eagle Coins. Silver eagles are issued in six versions of strike and finish, including Mint State, Proof, Burnished, Reverse Proof, Enhanced Uncirculated, and Enhanced Reverse Proof – with.
The American Silver Eagle carries on its obverse the Walking Liberty design by Adolph A. Weinman, a motif first employed on United States half dollars struck from 1916 through 1947 and brought out of a 39-year retirement to appear on this iconic silver bullion coin. Meanwhile, the obverse carries a modern, stylized heraldic eagle by John Mercanti.
Types of American Silver Eagles
While the first decade of production saw a relatively staid lineup of ASEs, with conventional bullion quality (formerly called “uncirculated”) and proofs struck each year, in 1995 the West Point Mint struck a limited number of proofs for inclusion in the 10th anniversary gold eagle set. The 1995-W silver eagle was struck as a free bonus inclusion with the anniversary set, and only 30,125 were made. They quickly became popular with collectors, serving to this day as the rare regular-issue key date to the entire series.
If your hobby is collecting memorabilia, then you’ll be impressed by the huge amount of items you’ll find with us at Silver Eagle Coins & Collectibles. We buy anything of intrinsic value, and make it available to you. Our experienced staff provides you quality service for your collection needs. The Silver American Eagle is the official Silver bullion coin of the United States and one of the few Silver bullion coins guaranteed for weight, content and purity by the U.S. The Silver American Eagle enjoys unparalleled recognition and liquidity.
Since the first decade of the 21st century, ASEs have been struck in several other numismatic varieties, including reverse proof and burnished finish. Striking duties for bullion-quality pieces originally went to the Philadelphia Mint and early proofs came from San Francisco. However, minting assignments have changed over the years, with Philadelphia striking proofs for a period in the 1990s and the West Point Mint assuming the vast majority of ASE production by 2000.
Here’s a breakdown of the major types of American Silver Eagles:
Bullion
The bullion ASEs represent the base-level coins struck with the investor in mind. While they boast high-quality surfaces as is typical for all American Eagle bullion coinage, they are struck in very large numbers and are distributed by the United States Mint through a network of authorized dealers with somewhat less regard for finish preservation than bestowed upon numismatic strikes. They can be purchased for relatively small premiums over spot.
However, older ASEs are worth a fairly significant figure above spot values, as they are scarcer than more recent issues. Among the most valuable of the bullion-quality strikes are the 1986, 1994, 1995, and 1996, with the latter serving as the key date for all regular-issue bullion strikes.
Proof
The first proof American Silver Eagles were released in 1986 with the debut of the series and struck in all years except 2009, when a planchet shortage reportedly upended production of all non-bullion silver eagle coinage. Regular proofs are relatively common, so some of the earlier pieces are quite rare in grades of PR69 or above.
Reverse Proof
The first reverse proof variant of the American Silver Eagle premiered as a Philadelphia-mint strike in 2006 and was made in small numbers.
The proof variety proved a success with collectors, and today the 2006-P reverse proof is relatively scarce due to sustained demand. Several other reverse proofs followed in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and these pieces all remain very popular with collectors; with a mintage of 99,882, the 2011-P reverse proof saw the lowest mintage among the four issues and is the most valuable of the reverse proof issues.
Reverse Proof Silver Eagle | image via USA CoinBook
Burnished (Uncirculated)
Debuting the same year as the reverse proof, the first burnished silver eagle was released in 2006 hailing from the West Point Mint. They bear a finish similar to the bullion-quality releases but offer a somewhat matte sheen and are thus desired by collectors as a distinct numismatic issue.
Burnished ASEs have been made most years since their debut, with the exceptions of 2009 and 2010, during a period of huge demand for the bullion-quality silver eagles, for which planchets are allocated with utmost priority.
Enhanced Finish
The first enhanced finish American Silver Eagle was released in 2013, featuring a uniquely frosted, specimen-quality finish. It is a special numismatic offering seldom seen on the ASEs. The United States Mint released its second enhanced finish silver eagle in 2019 with the Pride of Two Nations 2-Coin Set, coupling the 2019-W enhanced finish American Silver Eagle with a 2019 silver Canadian Maple Leaf coin.
Enhanced Finish ASE | image via USA CoinBook
Errors & Varieties
The ASE series offers a few interesting varieties. Perhaps the most popular and valuable of these is the 2008-W Burnished Reverse of 2007. An estimated 47,000 were struck and are worth huge premiums over regular-issue 2008-W Burnished Finish ASEs.
When the relatively few known errors do hit the market, they are typically garden-variety off-center strikes and blank planchets. Indeed, quality control at the United States Mints is quite high with all of its bullion coin programs, including the American Silver Eagle.
Collecting American Silver Eagles
It really goes without saying that the American Silver Eagle program is among the most popular of all bullion coin programs in the world. It’s not the oldest of the modern world bullion series—the gold South African Krugerrand gold coins came in 1967, the Canadian Maple Leaf debuted in 1979, Mexican Libertads were born in 1981, and the Chinese Panda program was unveiled in 1982.
But the American Silver Eagle, along with its American Gold Eagle counterpart (and late the platinum and palladium releases) are widely traded both in the United States and abroad and trusted by investors and collectors the world over. They are among the most frequently encountered coins in the precious metals circle.
While numismatic strikes are mainly intended for collectors, a fair number of investors also buy them to add some pizzazz to their holdings. Meanwhile, the bullion-quality ASEs also enjoy converse crossover appeal with collectors, many of whom build date sets spanning from 1986 to the present.
Many collectors pursue all types of ASEs, and the silver eagle registry set collecting objectives set forth by major encapsulation services Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) compel deep-pocketed collectors to buy super-grade examples in pursuit of the building the highest-quality collections possible.
Silver Eagle Coin Values
Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez is a journalist, editor, and blogger who has won multiple awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild. He has also authored numerous books, including works profiling the history of the United States Mint and United States coinage.
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A new American Silver Eagle design will mark the 35th anniversary of the American Eagle coin program next year in 2021. The U.S. Mint is introducing new reverse designs for both the Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle to mark the occasion. These changes to the 2021 American Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle will create a new standard design for both coins.
New Silver Eagle reverse design. Image: United States Mint
The new 2021 Silver Eagle reverse design will be a break from the past, replacing the original reverse eagle design of a heraldic eagle created by John Mercanti in 1986. The 2021 SIlver Eagle will also debut a 'refreshed' depiction of the famous 'Walking Liberty' design on the obverse, based on the original 1916–1947 silver half dollar by Adolph A.Weinman.
The Mint uses special occasions to revisit historical coin designs that are used on modern coins. Modern technology allowed the Mint to scan Weinman's large master molds of the Walking Liberty half dollar, capturing all the fine details of the artist's original 1916 design. The new dies from these scans will present Weinman's famous design to the public as he originally intended.
The 2021 Silver Eagle Reverse Design
The 2021 Silver Eagle design change replaces the symbolic 'eagle with shield and stars' reverse with a dynamic image of a real bald eagle in flight. Carrying an oak branch, the eagle is shown flaring its wings to land.
The required inscriptions curve around the rim, and are rendered in a new clean, modern style. The national motto E PLURIBUS UNUM that was on a ribbon in the old design has been enlarged and moved above the weight of the coin.
Emily Damstra is the artist who created the new American eagle design. Damstra has previously designed coins for the highly-esteemed Royal Canadian Mint, and was contracted through the U.S. Mint's artistic infusion program (AIP). Her work was chosen among many submissions for proposed reverse designs, judged by an expert panel known as the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC).
New Anti-Counterfeiting Measures for the 2021 Silver Eagle
Part of the reason for redesigning the Silver Eagle in 2021 is to introduce new anti-counterfeiting measures. The same is true of the new American Gold Eagle coins.
This is an area where the U.S. Mint has lagged behind the mints of other nations. The Mint promises multiple anti-counterfeiting measures will be incorporated into both the Silver Eagle and Gold Eagle bullion coins. Implementation of the enhanced security measures for collector versions of American Eagle coins will come when they change to the 2021 reverse.
While officials did not go into details about the new security features, recent collaborations between the U.S. Mint and Royal Canadian Mint point to the possibility that the RCM will share its world-leading anti-counterfeiting technology with the U.S. The same can be done for U.S. gold coins, as well.
2021 Silver Eagle Release Dates
The U.S. Mint plans to release the redesigned 2021 American Silver Eagle in 'summer 2021' according to their press release ('United States Mint Unveils New American Eagle Gold and Silver Coin Reverse Designs'). This means that some versions of Silver Eagles will be made with both designs.
Michael White, a spokesperson for the mint, explained in an email that the 2021 bullion and 2021-W proof Silver Eagles from the West Point Mint will be released in January. They both will carry the old, original design until the middle of the year, then transition to the new reverse design.
The 2021-W Uncirculated Silver Eagle will be released in July, after the redesigned reverse is introduced. This means that it will not be minted with the old reverse in 2021. The same applies to the 2021-S proof Silver Eagle from the San Francisco Mint. It is usually released in October, long after the new Silver Eagle reverse will be introduced.
This means that the 2020-S proof and 2020-W uncirculated Silver Eagles will be the last mintages of their type to feature the old reverse. Collectors should plan accordingly.
Silver Eagle Coins
A New Key Date for American Silver Eagle
The 2021 American Silver Eagle will be a key date in the series. There are two 2020 Silver Eagles that will also be key dates, being the last year of the old design. Collectors will certainly want to obtain examples of Silver Eagles with both reverses.
Here is a quick checklist, so you know which 2020 coins you need to buy before they sell out.
2021 Silver Eagle Bullion Coin
- 2021 will feature both reverses
2021-W Silver Eagle Proof Coin
Silver Eagle Coins Bu
- 2021 will feature both reverses
2021-W Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin
- 2020 will be the last year for the old reverse
- 2021 will only feature the new reverse
2021-S Silver Eagle Proof Coin
- 2020 will be the last year for the old reverse
- 2021 will only feature the new reverse
About the American Silver Eagle
Silver Eagle Coins 2021
Close-up of Walking Liberty design on Silver Eagle coin
The American Silver Eagle is the world's most popular 1 ounce silver bullion coin. Technically, it is the modern U.S. silver dollar. More than a half billion Silver Eagles have been sold since its introduction in 1986. As the first official silver bullion coin of the United States, the Silver American Eagle enjoys unprecedented popularity and liquidity around the world. It is also a widely collected bullion coin.