American Silver Eagle Coins

The United States Mint has been striking American Silver Eagles annually since 1986. The design of the coin has remained unchanged ever since.

At that time, the U.S. Mint offered two Silver Eagle products — the American Eagle Silver Bullion Coin which the Mint is mandated by law to produce in sufficient quantities to meet public demand, and the American Eagle Silver Proof Coin which are minted for coin collectors. The U.S. Mint started producing American Eagle Silver Uncirculated Coins in 2006. This is also a collector coin.

The bullion versions are made available so buyers can purchase silver in a "cost-effective way" — although collectors purchase them every day as well. The Mint does not sell bullion coins directly to the public, but instead makes them available through its network of authorized dealers who then resell them for a small premium over the current spot price of silver.

The Mint does directly sell numismatic proof and uncirculated coins. These coins include special finishes, higher detail and limited mintages. They also include the West Point "W" mint mark, unlike the bullion options. For these reasons, their premiums are significantly higher than their bullion counterparts.

The following links lead to all the Silver Eagle coin guides: