1990 American Silver Eagle Coins

The 1990 American Silver Eagle Coins showed improvements in both their bullion and proof numbers from the previous year. That increase across the board for the Silver Eagles made it the second successive year to have such a positive jump.

1990 Ameircan Silver Eagle Coins
Mintage: 5,840,110 Bullion, 695,510 Proof
eBay Listings
Authorizing Coin Law
U.S. Mint Online Site

Silver markets may have had the most influence on that rise as the average price of the precious metal dropped during the year. January of 1990 averaged $5.25 an ounce with all but two of the following months of the year showing a decline from the previous month. By years end, the annual average only came in at $4.83 an ounce.

Design elements of the coins remained the same as they had been (and still are). The obverse (heads side) showed Adolph A. Weinman’s "Walking Liberty" from 1916 with the reverse (tails side) containing a heraldic eagle by John Mercanti.

1990 Silver Eagle Mintage

Bullion Silver Eagle Mintage

The 1990-dated Bullion Silver Eagles showed an increase of 636,783 to come in at 5,840,110 – up 12.2%. This marked the second successive year for the bullion coins to show an increase.

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 1990

January 1,616,000   July 160,000
February 450,000   August 420,000
March 700,000   September 250,000
April 250,000   October 955,000
May 340,000   November 330,000
June 360,000   December 1,416,000

Proof Silver Eagle Mintage

Proof Silver Eagles also showed a nice increase from the precious year coming in at 695,510. This was a jump of 77,816 or up 12.6%. While not the record amount for proof Silver Eagles, the number attained this year would not be seen again for eleven years.

Issue Information

The 1990 Silver Eagles were the fifth annual release of the series which began in 1986.

Release Date

The 1990 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 small premium above the current spot price of the silver contained within them. Proof Silver Eagles were sold by the Mint for $23 each, the same price as it had charged the previous year for the coins.

U.S. Mint Production Facility

An ‘S’ mintmark on the proof coins indicate they were struck at the US Mint’s facility in San Francisco. The Bullion Eagles were also struck at the same location but do not include a mintmark.

Designer & Sculptor

Adolph A. Weinman’s "Walking Liberty" design, as first seen on the 1916-1947 half dollar, is featured on the obverse (heads side) of the coin. 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

Related Products

Links