Silver Eagles

The American Silver Eagle pairs Weinman's Walking Liberty with two major eagle reverses across bullion, proof, reverse-proof, enhanced, and uncirculated products.

This guide covers the cataloged 1986–2026 program. Bullion coins can lack a visible mint mark even when production attribution is known; collector finishes remain separate issue records.

Core specifications

Issue period

1986 to date

Catalog mints

3

Reported catalog mintage

707,635,750

Composition

99.93% Silver - 0.07% Copper

Diameter

40.6 mm

Weight

31.101 g

A historic half-dollar design becomes a bullion standard

The American Eagle program launched in 1986 to provide government-guaranteed precious-metal coins for investors and collectors.

The silver coin retained Weinman's 1916 Walking Liberty obverse while the reverse changed in 2021 from a heraldic eagle to an eagle carrying an oak branch.

Obverse, reverse, and the details that identify the type

Confirm the major design, date, and mint mark before studying smaller die differences.

The main portrait and date

Liberty walks toward the sunrise draped in the flag, carrying laurel and oak branches; the date appears below.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

Type 1 uses a heraldic eagle and shield; Type 2 shows an eagle descending with an oak branch. Security and anniversary details belong to their specific issues.

Where the cataloged coins were made

Totals are calculated from reported issue records in this catalog; unknown figures are not counted as zero.

• W — West Point: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026; 610,086,011. W identifies West Point; use the year, product, and finish to separate circulation releases from collector issues.
• S — San Francisco: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025; 89,393,097. Confirm the S mint mark together with its expected year, position, and issue format.
• P — Philadelphia: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026; 8,156,642. P identifies Philadelphia; confirm its expected position and issue format against the series design guide.

Representative issues that explain the series

Define the product first—bullion, proof, reverse proof, enhanced reverse proof, or uncirculated—then separate reverse type, mint attribution, and special privy or anniversary formats.

• 1986 S - Bullion (No Mint Mark) — 5,393,005. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 1995 W - 10th Anniversary Proof — 30,125. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 2019 S - Enhanced Reverse Proof — 29,913. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 2021 W - Proof — 417,187. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 2021 S - Bullion (No Mint Mark) — 1,000,000. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 2026 W - Proof - 1776-2026 — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.

Issue catalog

From one type coin to a complete catalog

• One representative coin: Choose one problem-free, readable example and learn the size, edge, and major design.
• Major-type set: Use one coin per major design to show changes in artwork, composition, or production.
• Dates and mints: Work through the issue catalog by date and mint, defining special finishes separately.

A note on catalog records

This page uses 157 issue records, 0 modeled varieties, and currently reported mintages; unknown values remain unknown.

Sources

1. American Eagle Coin Program — United States Mint
2. United States Mint Bullion Coins — United States Mint
3. Silver Eagles category reference — PCGS CoinFacts