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American Silver Eagle: one ounce, Walking Liberty’s afterlife
The American Silver Eagle (1986–on) is one troy ounce of .999 silver. The walk is Weinman’s Walking Liberty. It is not a 1940s half dollar. Common dates trade as bullion. 1996 is the key business strike. Milk spots are ugly and still an ounce.
An American Silver Eagle is the official US one-ounce silver bullion coin, first struck in 1986. .999 fine, one troy ounce. The obverse is Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty. The reverse was John Mercanti’s heraldic eagle through 2021; 2022 on is a new eagle.
It is not a Walker. A Walker is 90% and about 0.36 oz. An Eagle is a full ounce of finer silver. Junk vs Eagles vs bars.
Common vs the ones we pull
Most business-strike Eagles: bullion bid (spot plus a small premium, minus the shop spread). 1996 is the key date in the bullion series. Proofs, burnished (W), and some privy issues are collector coins. 2026 Eagles are just this year’s ounce.
Milk spots are white film. Ugly. Still an ounce. Milk spots.
Extra history
The Liberty Coin Act (1985) created the program so the government could sell silver from old stockpiles. The walk was already famous. That is why heirs bring a 1943 half and call it an Eagle.
What a shop pays
Common date, problem-free: bullion. Cleaned, taped, or heavily spotted: still an ounce, smaller premium. Don’t clean. Count them. Weigh a sample. A generic “Walking Liberty” round with no UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is not an Eagle. Government coins vs generic rounds.
People also ask
Is a Silver Eagle 90%? No. .999.
Is a 1986 Eagle rare because it is first year? Popular. Not scarce like 1996.
Same as a Maple or Libertad? Same job (one-ounce government silver), different country. Maple. Libertad.
Continue in the coin and money library. Related visitor guides: for shop visitors.
Count, then spot-check weight (31.1 g) and diameter. A magnetic Eagle is a problem. A light Eagle is a problem. How shops check authenticity.
Proof Eagles in the box are still an ounce plus a proof premium that shrinks if the box is gone. Proof vs bullion.
A “Walking Liberty” with no UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and no ONE OUNCE FINE SILVER is a generic round. We pay it as generic silver if the metal is real. Government vs generic.
The date people pull: 1996 Silver Eagle.