The American Eagle Silver Coins can rightfully claim a lofty place among various Americana items of interest.   For one, it has an iconic design—that of the half-dollar minted for general US circulation between 1916 and 1947.  This design has endeared itself to the American public and is considered as one of the favorites among coinage in the United States up to contemporary times.  The coin features the classic ‘Walking Liberty” rendition of Adolph A. Weinman on its obverse side and a heraldic eagle with a shield, a design by John Mercanti on its reverse side.

More than its design, however, the American Silver Eagle Coin is prized by many because it is the United States’ official silver bullion.  The US Mint first issued the Silver Eagle in November 1986.  Each coin has a nominal value of one US dollar and is struck exclusively in the 1 troy ounce denomination and contains one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver.

The minting of the Silver Eagle Coins is part of the American Eagle Bullion program authorized by the United States Congress in 1985.  This program granted the US Mint the authority to produce not only silver bullion but also gold bullion.  In 1997, minting of platinum silver eagle was added to the program.  The US government guarantees the precious metal content, weight and purity of these coins.

Proof versions of the American Eagle medallion is struck at the US Mint for collectors.  The proofs undergo a special minting process that entails feeding burnished blanks manually into presses with special dies fitted. Detailed images seemingly afloat a mirror-like surface characterizes each proof, the result of the multiple times that each coin is struck.  Meticulous manual inspection follows after they are struck otherwise they are uncirculated. After passing this quality control process, they are packed in satin-lined velvet boxes with clear plastic covers to complete an elegant presentation.   Each one carries an official certificate of authenticity from the US Mint which helps prevents production of fake coins.

The Silver Eagle medallions come out of three mints.  Those that carry the “P” mintmark are struck at the Philadelphia mint.  Those that were considered mintages of the series’ early years have the “S” mark, indicating that they were minted in San Francisco. Coins of more recent mintage were struck at the West Point, New York, and these bear the “W” mintmark on its reverse side.

It is important for collectors to understand what these mintmarks signify.  The price of the American Eagle Silver Coins may be readily determined through these marks.  This is because year-to-year mintages of the coins vary widely, and collectors usually check a standard reference book to determine the years wherein the minted coins or proofs command higher prices in dollars making them highly collectible.  In general, proofs were issued only in sets of hundred thousands, while business strikes would amount to millions of coins.