2006 American Silver Eagle Coins

The 2006 American Silver Eagle Coins celebrated the twentieth anniversary since the Eagles were first available from the United States Mint.

2006 American Silver Eagle Coins
Mintage: 10,676,522 Bullion, 1,092,477 Proof including 248,875 of the special Reverse Proof Eagles, 466,573 Uncirculated
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To coincide with the celebration, the Mint created two new silver Eagle strikes during the year. The first of these was a special Reverse Proof Eagle which had the same design elements of the original Eagles but featured a frosted background and mirrored raised surfaces – opposite of the standard Eagle. It was struck at the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia and available in the special 20th Anniversary Silver Eagle Set which had a mintage of 250,000.

Also new for the year was an Uncirculated Silver Eagle. These coins were struck from specially burnished blanks but featured a finish similar to the bullion coins. The inclusion of a ‘W’ mintmark on the uncirculated strikes help to distinguish them from the bullion versions.

2006 Silver Eagle Mintage

Bullion Silver Eagle Mintage

Bullion Eagle mintage saw a large jump for the year with the final number of 2006-dated coins coming in at 10,676,522. This was enough to firmly cement the year as the second best to that point and marked only the third time in which the coins sold above 10 million.

The chart below shows the total number sold of Silver Eagle Bullion Coins from the US Mint for each month. (Numbers may include coins minted in other years.):

Bullion Silver Eagles Sold in 2006

January 1,115,000   July 417,000
February 993,000   August 413,000
March 1,072,000   September 550,000
April 1,395,000   October 285,000
May 1,186,000   November 195,000
June 760,000   December 1,640,000

Proof Silver Eagle Mintage

The standard Proof Silver Eagle also saw a large increase for the year with a total of 1,092,477 sold (this included 248,875) of the special Reverse Proof Eagles. It also marked the second best year for the strikes up to that point and was only the second time the strikes exceeded 1 million sold.

Reverse Proof Silver Eagle Mintage

Available only for the year, the Reverse Proof Silver Eagles were sold in the special 20th Anniversary Set which saw a total of 248,875 sold.

Uncirculated Silver Eagle Mintage

The US Mint shows a total of 466,573 of the special Uncirculated Silver Eagles were sold. This includes 248,875 which were sold as part of the special 20th Anniversary Set and 19,145 sold as part of the special Gold and Silver Eagle 20th Anniversary Set.

Issue Information

The 2006 Silver Eagles celebrated twenty years since the introduction of the Eagle program but actually marked the twenty-first year in which the coins were available.

Release Date

Proof Silver Eagles were released by the US Mint on early in the year with the uncirculated Eagles following later. The bullion Eagles were available from the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers for most of the year.

Issue Price

Proof Eagles were available separately for $27.95 each. The Uncirculated Eagles sold separately for $19.95 each. The 20th Anniversary Silver Eagle Set sold for $100. Bullion Eagles were available from 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

The standard proof as well as the uncirculated and bullion Silver Eagles were all struck at the US Mint’s facility in West Point – only the bullion does not have a ‘W’ mintmark. The special Reverse Proof Silver Eagle was struck at the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia and carries the appropriate ‘P’ mintmark.

Designer & Sculptor

The design for the obverse (heads side) of the Silver Eagle originally appeared on the half dollar from 1916-1947 and is known as the "Walking Liberty." It was designed by Adolph A. Weinman. John Mercanti designed the heraldic eagle which is found on the reverse (tails side).

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

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