1988 American Silver Eagle Coins
In the third year of the series, the 1988 American Silver Eagle Coins showed a marked decline in interest among both collectors and investors of the coins.
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| Mintage: 5,004,646 Bullion, 557,370 Proof eBay Listings Authorizing Coin Law U.S. Mint Online Site |
Bullion 1988 American Silver Eagles dropped in sales by over 50% from the previous year with the proof 1988-S American Silver Eagles dropping by 38%. Still, respectable mintages were turned in for the year with many years to come in the series showing lower numbers.
The Silver Eagle Program was authorized as part of the Liberty Coin Act of 1985 to strike coins from one ounce of 99.9 pure silver. Image specifications in the authorizing legislation only required for an image of Liberty on the obverse (heads side) and an eagle on the reverse (tails side)
1988 Silver Eagle Mintage
Bullion Silver Eagle Mintage
As stated before, 1988 Bullion Silver Eagles did not sell nearly as well as the previous year’s strike had. Still, 5,004,646 of the 1988-dated coins were ordered from the Mint.
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 1988
January 790,000 July 100,000 February 700,000 August 226,000 March 1,300,000 September 353,000 April 780,000 October 305,000 May 650,000 November 400,000 June 50,000 December 215,000
Proof Silver Eagle Mintage
A total of 557,370 of the 1988-dated Proof Silver Eagles were sold by the US Mint. This was a decline of 347,362 from the previous year, or -38%. It would be the lowest mintage up to that point for the proof coin.
Issue Information
The 1988 Silver Eagles continued the annual release from the Eagle Program which debuted in 1986.
Release Date
The 1988 Eagles were available for a majority of the year.
Issue Price
The US Mint charged $23 a piece for the Proof Silver Eagles – the same price as it had charged the previous year. Bullion Silver Eagles were sold by the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers for a small premium above the spot price of the silver contained within them.
U.S. Mint Production Facility
Both the proof and bullion coins were struck at the US Mint’s facility in San Francisco, however, only the proof coins contain the ‘S’ mintmark.
Designer & Sculptor
Adolph A. Weinman’s "Walking Liberty" design first seen on the 1916 half dollar is featured on the obverse (heads side) of the Silver Eagle. The reverse (tails side) shows a heraldic eagle as designed by John Mercanti.
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 |