The American Silver Eagle - A Favorite With Collectors and Investors

The American Eagle is the emblem of the United States of America with its great strength and majestic beauty symbolizing freedom. Whether soaring above towering mountains and canyons or gliding through picturesque valleys at one with Nature, the eagle has unlimited freedom. The Eagle appears in the Seals of many States, on most US gold and silver coinage, and it is used for decorative patriotic purposes.

The American Silver Eagle is the Official Silver Bullion coin of the USA initially released by the US Mint on November 24, 1986. It is guaranteed for weight, content and purity to contain one troy ounce of.999 pure silver with an actual composition of 99.93% silver and 0.07% copper. It weighs 31.101 grams (1.000 ounces), has a diameter of 40.6 mm (1.598 inches) and is 2.98 mm (0.117 inches) thick with a reeded edge.

Originally issued as an investment coin there are three versions:

1. Bullion: A bullion coin is valued by its weight in a specific precious metal and is sold through authorized coin and bullion dealers. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin an accepted by Individual Retirement Account investments.
2. Proof: This is the collectible proof version available in perfect grades directly from the US Mint and carries a "P" (proof) mark.
3. Uncirculated: This recent minting is the uncirculated collectible, hand-loaded into the coining press, struck on specially burnished blanks and carries the "W" mark of the United States Mint at West Point.

The American Eagle is the largest silver dollar ever issued by the U.S. Mint and is highly prized for its beauty and silver content. The obverse design comes from the popular "Walking Liberty" design by Adolph A. Weinman originally used on the 1916 to 1947 United States' half-dollar coin. It has the official motto "In God We Trust"with the word LIBERTY around the out top half and the year of issuance. The reverse designed by John Mercanti depicts a heraldic eagle behind a shield with an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left talon. Above the eagle are thirteen five-pointed stars representing the Thirteen Colonies and the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM" appears with the phrases UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1 OZ. FINE SILVER~ONE DOLLAR. The American Eagle is"official legal tender" at face value; however its silver value far exceeds this.

The Silver Eagle is sort after by collectors who collect the series by date. A complete collection must include two key dates. The 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle which was only included in the 1995 Gold Eagle Proof Set and had a minimal mintage of 30,125 coins. The 2006-W Reverse Proof Silver Eagle which was only included in the 2006 20th Anniversary Silver Eagle Set, which was limited to 250,000 sets.

Some bullion or proof issues carry premiums due to lower mintages. A classic example is The Bullion 1996 Silver Eagle which had an extremely low mintage of just 3,603,386 while only 498,293 of the 1996 Proof Silver Eagles were minted. The 1994 Proof Silver Eagle had the lowest series mintage for a standard proof coin of just 372,168.

Silver continues to be a good investment with the ounce price in the new Millennium rising from around the $US5 in 2000 to over $20 in 2010. Forecasters predicate continuing upward movement driven by the jump in retail demand along with the increase in bullion coin sales and the surge in bar demand.

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About the Author

Kenneth Saywell is an Internet Marketer with a Sales and Marketing background living in rural New Zealand. Kenneth looks to connect with positive, motivational and interesting people and through shared experiences grow and realize mutual dreams. Leisure activities include bush walking, philately and genealogy. Find out more at http://kennethsaywell.com