1987 American Silver Eagle Coins
The 1987 American Silver Eagle Coins marked the second year in which the US Mint struck the coins as authorized by the Liberty Coin Act of 1985(Public Law 99-61).
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| Mintage: 11,442,335 Bullion, 904,732 Proof eBay Listings Authorizing Coin Law U.S. Mint Online Site |
Both the bullion 1987 American Silver Eagles and their counterparts, the proof 1987-S American Silver Eagles are struck from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver.
Since their debut, the Silver Eagles have featured an obverse (heads side) image of Liberty. It is the same design that was first seen on the "Walking Liberty" half dollar from 1916-1947 by Adolph A. Weinman. This image is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful ever struck on a coin of the United States.
1987 Silver Eagle Mintage
Bullion Silver Eagle Mintage
1987 was the first year in which the Bullion Silver Eagles were available for the entire year. As such, a record amount of the strikes were sold totalling 11,442,335. This record would stand for over twenty years.
Shown below is a month by month breakdown of the number of Bullion Eagles sold during the year. (The numbers may include coins minted in other years.):
Bullion Silver Eagles Sold in 1987
January 715,000 July 0 February 775,000 August 100,000 March 1,355,000 September 300,000 April 1,060,000 October 800,000 May 1,280,000 November 1,250,000 June 1,125,000 December 660,000
Proof Silver Eagle Mintage
A total of 904,732 of the 1987-dated Proof Silver Eagles were sold by the US Mint which stood for over twenty years as the second best mintage for the strikes.
Issue Information
The 1987 Silver Eagles were the second year in which the strikes were available from the US Mint.
Release Date
The 1987 Eagles were available for a majority of the year.
Issue Price
Bullion Silver Eagles were sold by the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers for a slight premium above the spot price of the silver contained within them. The Proof Eagles were sold by the Mint for $23 a piece, an increase of $2 from the previous year.
U.S. Mint Production Facility
An ‘S’ mintmark on each of the proof Eagles indicate they were struck at the US Mint’s facility in San Francisco. The bullion coins were struck at the same location but contain no mintmark
Designer & Sculptor
The obverse (heads side) of the coin contains Adolph A. Weinman’s "Walking Liberty" design first seen on the 1916 half dollar. John Mercanti designed the heraldic eagle is found on the reverse (tails side) of the coin.
Coin Specifications
| Face Value: | $1 |
| Finish: | Bullion, Proof |
| Composition: | 99.93% Ag, 00.07% Cu |
| Standard Weight: | 31.103 g |
| Standard Diameter: | 40.60 mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |