American Silver Eagles

BU Silver American Eagles at Silver.com

The Silver American Eagle is the official bullion silver coin of the United States. Among the three variations of the Silver American Eagle, these coins are the cheapest over the spot price of silver, as well as the most popular. Learn more about the BU Silver American Eagle, right here at Silver.com.

History of the BU Silver American Eagle

The Liberty Coin Act was established on July 9, 1985. This Act called for the production of a 1 oz silver coin with a purity of .999 fine silver. A depiction of Liberty needed to be on the obverse while an eagle needed to be on the reverse. Less than 18 months later, the Silver American Eagle debuted with a mintage of 5,393,005. These coins have been issued annually every year since they debuted.

From 1986 to 1998, BU coins in this series were struck at the San Francisco Mint. From 1999 to 2000, the Philadelphia Mint and the West Point produced these coins. Starting in 2001, just the West Point Mint has struck these BU coins.

Design

Adolph A. Weinman’s 1916 Walking Liberty design graces the obverse field of these coins. This design has remained the same since 1986 when it was reintroduced by the US Mint for these coins. Lady Liberty is walking in left-profile relief towards the sun. She has the American flag draped over her while holding oak branches in one hand.

The reverse has featured two unique designs over the years.

• 1986-2021 Type 1: John Mercanti’s heraldic eagle. A front-facing eagle with a shield on its chest as 13 five-pointed stars are displayed over its head.
• 2021 Type 2-Present: Emily Damstra’s flying eagle. An eagle flying in left-profile relief with a branch in its talons.

Types of BU Silver American Eagles

The US Mint creates three variations of the Silver American Eagle, BU, Proof, and Burnished. However, when browsing our selection of these coins at Silver.com, you’ll find that there are unique versions of these BU strikes. This is because third-party dealers will take a BU strike and alter it.

• Colorized: You’ll find a handful of colorized Silver American Eagles at Silver.com. These will usually apply a colorized lacquer to the obverse side. Sometimes the whole obverse is colorized, other times it’s just Lady Liberty.
• Gilded: Gilded coins are silver coins that have a thin layer of 24-karat gold applied to them.

Packaging of the BU Silver American Eagle

BU Silver American Eagles will arrive individually in protective plastic flips. For larger orders, you can also purchase these Brilliant Uncirculated coins in tubes of 20, or Monster Boxes of 500.

Sealed tubes contain 20 BU Silver American Eagles. This means each tube has 20 Troy oz of .999 pure silver and has a total face value of $20. Monster Boxes contain 500 coins, made up of 25 tubes. Monster Boxes thus have 500 Troy oz of .999 pure silver and a total face value of $500.

You’ll notice when browsing our selection of Silver American Eagles that you can also purchase BU coins in themed clamshell packaging. These are oftentimes referred to as special occasion Silver Eagles. Themed packaging includes options for Christmas, Easter, and Happy Birthday among others.

Certified BU Silver American Eagles

Certified Silver Eagles are coins that are graded and encapsulated by a professional coin grading provider, such as the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).

Coins are graded on a 1 to 70 scale with 70 representing a flawless specimen. Certified BU coins will have their grade prefaced by a two-letter code.

• MS – Mint State: Struck in the same format as circulation coins. Applies to coins graded from 60 to 70.
• AU – About Uncirculated: Applies to coins graded between 50 and 58.

Buying BU Silver American Eagles at Silver.com

For any inquiries about these BU Silver American Eagles, contact the Silver.com customer service team today at 1-888-989-7223. Our team can also be reached via email or through our online chat feature.