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AMERICAN SILVER EAGLE
1 oz American Silver Eagle
Produced for the first time on October 20th 1986, the .999% pure, investment grade silver bullion labeled the American Silver Eagle was created by the United States Mint. Its release, along with American Gold Eagles, on November 24th 1986 was part of the result in a long-awaited rescission of President Franklin D. Roosevelts’ Executive Order 6102.
Having been minted for upwards of 30 years, the 1.598 inch silver coin had quickly become a staple in everyday coin collector caches as well as individuals’ Precious Metal investment accounts. Taking the iconic 1916 “Walking Liberty” design from Adolph A. Weinman and combining it with John Mercanti’s 1986 Heraldic eagle and shield symbol, the United States had created what would soon become the worlds’ most popular form of silver coin bullion.
Each ‘reeded’ coin weighing in at exactly one troy ounce, or 31.103 grams, have been produced in three different forms. First, is the investment grade bullion version of the American Silver Eagle. This form of ASE is typically most sought after due to its commonality. Investors gravitate to this form for its affordability and prevalence throughout the world. A key trait for this American Silver Eagle is the lack of a mirror finish that is synonymous with proof coinage.
The United States Mint
- About the United States Mint
Proof Sets
The second of three styles is the Proof American Silver Eagles. These coins were minted among three different areas during different times. Those locations and times being: the San Francisco Mint in California during 1986 - 1992, the Philadelphia Mint in Pennsylvania during 1993 - 2000, and the West Point Mint in New York during 2001 - 2008. Proofed American Silver Eagles were not minted during the year of 2009 but picked back up at West Point during the year of 2010. Between 2016 and 2017, Production of the Proof American Silver Eagle existed at all three locations.
To discern the location a certain American Eagle was produced each mint had struck a letter representing the origin of creation. San Francisco adopted the letter “S”, Philadelphia embraces the letter “P” and “W” represents West Point. This minting identifier, referred to as a Mint Mark, has been a standard for coins minted for hundreds of years. The polished precision dies used in striking Proof American Silver Eagles create the highly desirable mirror finish. The condition, mintage location and year a Proof American Silver Eagle was created establishes the numismatic desire that resides in most collectors.
Up close photo of several American Silver Eagles next to their original issue mint tubes. Photo taken by Investor Crate staff in Texas.
Lastly, the third type of American Silver Eagle are the “Special Issue” coins. Widely searched for their rarity, Special Issue coins were minted on a multitude of occasions such as the coins’ 10th, 20th, 25th and more recently, 30th anniversaries. Other special issue coins were generated in sets for events such as the Philadelphia Set. This set was formed for the bicentennial celebration of The United States first, official coin striking in Philadelphia in 1793.
The US Mint has currently minted more than 530,000,000 American Silver Eagles and to this day they still attract collectors and investors of all levels of experience and ages. Here at Investor Crate we provide American Silver Eagles in our U.S. Standard crate for all to collect and enjoy.
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- The 1 oz Silver Krugerrand (South Africa)
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- Other World Silver Coins such as these and others can be found in our Silver Crate. Each month something new arrives, so make sure to nab a roll or two of each kind!
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My dad and his dad used to collect Silver Eagles. Now, I’m starting my own collection.
I think I’missing three of these from the different locations where they’ve been minted