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1986 American Silver Eagle

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1986 Silver Eagle BU

In 1986 the United States Mint launched the American Eagle program. The American Gold Eagle and American Silver Eagle were established as the nations first and official bullion coins. In this first production year, the Silver Eagle enjoyed immense popularity that would lead to high demand the following year, as well.

The inaugural release of the American Silver Eagle coin was produced by the San Francisco Mint. The San Francisco mint struck both the BU and Proof Strikes of the coin. The San Francisco Mint would continue to mint both versions of the Silver Eagle coin until 1993 when proof coins shifted to the Philadelphia Mint. Bullion coin productions was shifted to the Philadelphia Mint in 1999.

The 1986 Silver Eagle was the first year the series was minted. It was also the first .999 fine silver bullion coin produced by the US Mint designed for investment. The mintage for 1986 American Silver Eagle coins was relatively high as was investor demand. The coin was released late in the year and was only sold for two months.

The mintage for BU Silver Eagles in 1986 was over  5 million coins.

It also marked the first year that Silver Eagle proofs were struck. American Silver Eagle proofs are marketed towards collectors. More than one-million proof Silver Eagle coins were solid in 1986.

1986 Silver Eagle Proof Coin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coin Highlights:

  • 1ST Mintage Year of the American Silver Eagle coin from the US Mint.
  • 5,393,005 1986 Silver Eagle BU Coins Minted.
  • 1,446,778 1986 Silver Eagle Proof Coins Minted.
  • Contains 1 oz of .999 pure silver.
  • Carries a face value of $1 (USD) and is backed by the US Government for purity, weight and quality.
  • Features the iconic Walking Liberty design on the obverse.
  • Includes a heraldic eagle design with shield and talons holding an olive branch and arrows.
  • S mint marks on the proof coins from the San Francisco Mint.

With a mintage of almost 1.5 million coins, the 1986 Silver Eagle Proof is the largest Proof Silver Eagle mintage to date.

The obverse is Adolph A. Weinmans Walking Liberty design from 1916, which was also featured on the Walking Liberty half-dollar coin. This is complemented with the reverse design of the heraldic eagle of the United States by then-Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John Mercanti.

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Various Dealers Offering Huge Buybacks for Enhanced Reverse Proof 2019 Silver Eagles

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The US Mint is releasing a new, limited edition Enhanced Reverse Proof 2019 American Silver Eagle coin at 12:00 noon on November 14, 2019. The offering price for this coin from the US Mint is just $65.95 plus shipping.

The mintage of this coin is limited to just 30,000 coins. It is the lowest American Silver Eagle mintage ever produced. Slightly lower than the 1995-W Proof coin that was only included as part of a special limited edition set. The 1995-W Silver Eagle Proof is one of the key dates for any American Silver Eagle collection.

Of the 30,125 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle coins produced, only 373 are known to exist with a PCGS grade of MS-70, the highest grade available. In a 2013 auction one of those coins sold for nearly $87,000.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the release of the new 2019-S American Silver Eagle Enhanced Reverse Proof coin. There is also a household limit of 1 coin allowed per buyer. Combined, it’s expected that demand for this coin will be much higher than the available supply and that prices after the release are going to skyrocket.

As such, dealers are offering high bounties for those who are able to get their hands on one of the coins and are willing to part with it.

  • Monument Metals is offering a $100 bounty for people who commit to selling the coin to them on the release day.
  • Pinehurst Coins is also offering $100 bounty, however in order to commit to the you’d need to hand over your US Mint login and password, plus your credit card verification code. All very risky.
  • Several buyers on the BullionStackers.com forum are willing to buy for as much as $295 per coin, which is about 4.5 times the asking price from the mint.

It should be obvious that these dealers and buyers know that demand for this coin will skyrocket after the release. Even is MS-69 condition, the 1995-W Proof coin has sold at recent auctions for close to $3,000. MS-69 is likely to be what many of these 2019 Enhanced Reverse Proof ASEs will end up being graded.

It’s hardly much of a risk the limited supply of this coin and the upside potential is tremendous.

Update:

On November 15, 2019, Pinehurst coins began selling the coins purchased through their buyback program through their eBay store for $599. As demand has continued, they have raised the price twice. Initially to $650, then to the current (as of 11/18/2019) $699 per coin. Other’s are selling the coin on eBay for similar amounts and more. Check out the eBay listing for the 2019-S Enhanced Reverse Proof American Silver Eagle.

 

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Where to find the cheapest silver eagles for sale online

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best place to buy American Silver Eagles online

How can I find which online bullion dealer has the cheapest Silver Eagles for sale?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions of beginning precious metals investors.

With so many different online bullion dealers to choose from it’s hard to find a simple answer. Finding the cheapest Silver Eagles for sale online requires a bit of research and comparison shopping, as prices can vary based on the dealer, market conditions, and any premiums associated with the coins.

The best way to find the best price is to check all of the well-known online bullion dealers as the silver price and premiums can change frequently. Websites like APMEX, SD Bullion, and Bullion Exchanges often have competitive pricing on Silver Eagles.

However, FindBullionPrices.com helps investors compare prices of Silver Eagles and other investment-grade precious metal coins across multiple online dealers at the same time, saving a significant amount of time and money.

Dealer Premiums on Silver Eagles

Question: Why does each dealer have different prices for what appear to be the same silver eagles or other bullion items?

Answer: The short answer is: because they can. It is usually referred to as the dealer premium. The premium is the markup over the silver spot price that the dealer charges. The charge includes the dealer’s overhead costs, plus a small profit margin. In general, brick and mortar stores have higher overhead costs for a variety of reasons.

Also, many silver buyers don’t shop around much and tend to stick with their favorite dealers. If they do shop around, they will often buy from one or two dealers large dealers such as APMEX or JM Bullion.

The large popular dealers are trustworthy, but often have the highest premiums and can be the most expensive to buy from. These larger companies have more employees, greater expenses and higher operating costs. They also spend significant amounts of money on online advertising and other expenses.

For the large dealers, the cost of doing business is higher than most of the smaller dealers. The higher cost are directly passed along to the end buyer in the form of higher dealer premiums.

When shopping for Silver Eagles online, it’s important to compare prices from as many dealers as possible before making the purchase decision. FindBullionPrices.com provides the tools to help investors compare prices from an assortment of different dealers that offer the same products at different prices.

Finding the Cheapest Silver Eagles Online

FindBullionPrices.com tracks the prices for American Silver Eagle coins from dozens of online bullion dealers. In fact, we track the prices of over 1,000 different silver, gold and platinum bullion investment products as well.

American Silver Eagles can come in a variety of different conditions. There are:

We can help you find the cheapest American Silver Eagles no matter which variety you want to buy.

Silver Eagles Cost Less in Bulk Quantities

You can buy American Silver Eagle coins individually, or you can buy them in larger quantities. It’s pretty common to buy Silver Eagles in tubes of 20 coins, or in Monster Boxes of 500 coins. Buying in bulk often qualifies for quantity discounts, which helps to reduce the cost, allowing you to save money on high premiums.

You will always pay a lower price for Silver Eagles when you buy in larger quantities. Most online bullion dealer offer price breaks starting when you buy a full tube of 20 coins.

Authorized Distributors buy Silver Eagles from the US Mint in very large quantities. Those large quantities are packaged into Monster Boxes. Each Silver Eagle Monster Box contains 25 tubes or rolls of coins.

Buying a roll of 20 American Silver Eagle coins will almost always cost less than when you buy individual coins. Most precious metals investors follow the principal of dollar-cost averaging. Keeping the dealer premiums as low as possible is important.

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What are the American Silver Eagle Key Dates?

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Cheapest American Silver Eagle

American Silver Eagle coins serve as a cornerstone of many collections and precious metals investment portfolios. These bullion coins have been produced in large quantities each year by US Mint since 1986. If you are new to collecting, you may wonder what are the Key Dates for American Silver Eagle coins?

For the most part, bullion Silver Eagles are worth a small premium over spot price.

However, some mintages and variations are far less common than others. To collectors,  some of these American Silver Eagle key dates are highly sought after and can command a very high premium.

1986 Silver Eagle

The 1986 Silver Eagle was the first of this series produced by the US Mint. The first year, almost 5.4 million bullion coins were minted and nearly 1.5 million proof Silver Eagles.

Compare that to more recent mintages, such as 2015, when 47 million coins were minted.

Being the first coin in the series and having a relatively limited mintage, the 1986 Silver Eagle is collectable. This coin typically commands a premium over spot price. For collectors of Silver Eagle coins, the 1986 Silver Eagle stands out as a quintessential coin to own.

Uncirculated 1986 Silver Eagles can usually be found for around double current spot price. For specimens that are graded by NGC or PCGS in the MS69 or MS70 grades can sell in the hundreds of dollars.

Proof coins, either having a high grade or that include the original mint issued box and certificate of authenticity (COA) can command even higher premiums.

1994 Silver Eagle

The 1994 Silver Eagle mintage was the lowest to date since the introduction of the series. Only around 4.2 million bullion coins were produced, and only around 372,000 proof coins issued.

The coins from this mintage year tend to command premiums similar to those of 1986 due to their rarity. The quality of many of the coins produced during this year have been known to contain milk spots and other imperfections.

1996 Silver Eagle

Production problems arose during the 1996 minting of Silver Eagles. This has been the lowest production year in the entire American Silver Eagle series. Only around 3.6 million bullion coins were produced during the entire year.

Milk spots and other imperfections were common. According to the NGC Census, there are only 334 1996 Silver Eagle coins graded as MS70. Those coins sell for thousands of dollars each at auction.

1995 W Proof Silver Eagle

The 1995 W Proof Silver Eagle was only included as part of a special release and has the lowest mintage to date of all Silver Eagles. The set was issued as a 10 year anniversary collection that was comprised of the four Proof Gold Eagle denominations along with Silver Eagle Proof.

Each of the coins in this special set featured the W mint mark. In total, the mint had planned to produced only 45,000 sets. However, sales were unexpectedly low and only 30,125 units sold.

The 1995 W Silver Eagle Proof is arguably the rarest coin of the series and is the one most sought after by serious collectors. Only 373 are exist with the PCGS grade of MS70. In 2013, one of these coins set an auction record of nearly $87,000, one of the highest prices ever paid for a modern coin.

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US Mint American Silver Eagle Coin Sales Increase 19.5% in June to 1.03 Million Ounces

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best place to buy American Silver Eagles online

It has been a fairly lackluster year of Silver Eagle sales for the US Mint. However, in June, sales began to bounce back to higher volumes.

Distributors and Authorized Purchasers purchased over 1 million troy ounces of silver eagles from the US Mint in June. These sales numbers are up nearly 20% from May which saw sales of only 866,000 troy ounces.

Overall, sales of Silver American Eagle coins have been substantially higher for the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2018. The US Mint has sold 10,022,000 troy ounces during the first six month of 2019. During the same period in 2018 only 6,822,500 troy ounces of Eagles were sold.

The increase in sales of 2019 American Silver Eagle coins this year may be due to investors moving money to safer investments as confidence in traditional investments weakens.



The US Mint sells Silver Eagles to wholesale distributors, referred to as Authorized Purchasers, with each Monster Box containing 500 troy ounces of silver.

Silver Eagle Monster Boxes are popular among investors that want to take advantage of the relatively low price of silver.  The price of gold continues to reach highs not seen in several years.

The Gold to Silver Ratio is near historic highs.

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What is the best place to buy American Silver Eagles online?

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best place to buy American Silver Eagles online

For those who are just starting to buy precious metals Silver Eagle coins that are issued by the US Mint are among the safest ways to buy silver. American Silver Eagle coins are a great investment for anyone looking to diversify their portfolio into precious metals. If you have an interest in investing in precious metals you are probably wondering where the best place is to buy American Silver Eagles online.

Can you buy silver eagles from the US Mint?

The US Mint does sell American Silver Eagle Proof and Special Edition coins to the public through their website. However, they do not sell American Silver Eagle bullion coins direct to the public.

The US Mint only sells Silver Eagle bullion coins to a short list of “Authorized Purchasers”, which act as wholesale distributors to online bullion dealers and local coin shops. The process to become an Authorized Purchaser for the US Mint is an arduous one involving a lot of specific requirements that very few companies can meet. Even Authorized Purchaser must pay a premium for Silver Eagles from the Mint.

Even if you’re a collector looking to buy American Silver Eagle Proof or Special Edition coins you can usually find those coins for sale from online bullion dealers for less than you’d pay buying directly from the US Mint.

Are American Silver Eagles legal tender?

Yes. American Silver Eagle coins are legal tender with a face value of $1 US Dollar. The face value of silver eagle coins is backed by the US Government, as is the purity and quality of the coins.

As a result, Silver Eagle coins are one of the most popular precious metals investments in part because of their worldwide recognition.

How and Where to Buy Silver Eagles online

You can buy American Silver Eagle coins from virtually every online bullion dealer or local coin shop. There are several advantages to buy American Silver Eagles online.

The prices of silver eagles vary from dealer to dealer. This is because the dealer needs to recoup their own overhead, operating costs and profit margins. The amount each dealer charges above the silver spot price is called the dealer premium.

For American Silver Eagles, the US Mint charges Authorized Purchasers a premium over the current silver spot price. The premium charged on the wholesale level is around $2.00 per coin. As a result, the break-even cost for distributors is the spot price of silver plus $2.00. Online bullion dealers will pay a premium over this cost because the distributor needs to make a profit.

FindBullionPrices.com tracks the best silver eagle prices across trusted and reputable online bullion dealers. You want to find the best price when you are want to buy American Silver Eagle coins.

What is the best price for American Silver Eagles online?

The best price you are going to find when you buy American Silver Eagle coins online will be the current spot price of silver, plus the premium and profit the wholesale distributors and dealers need.

It is not uncommon to see current year American Silver Eagle for sale online for $3.00 premium over spot price. However, dealers often have sales where you can buy Uncirculated Silver Eagle for as low of $2.25 over spot price. You can subscribe to our deal newsletters to receive sale notifications.

You can find Cheap Silver Eagles for sale for less than the prevailing rates of current year coins. To get the best price for Silver Eagles you need to look into buying Random Year Silver Eagles and Circulated, Tarnished or Cull Condition Silver Eagles.

Silver Eagle Monster Box

Investors looking to get the best price for American Silver Eagles online will want to buy a Monster Box.

A Silver Eagle Monster Box contains 500 coins and weighs 500 troy ounces. Inside each Monster Box, there are 25 tubes of coins. Each of the tubes contain 20 coins each.

You will pay the lowest price per coin when you buy a Silver Eagle Monster Box because you are buying in bulk.

 

 

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What is the best way to store my silver rounds?

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Silver Round Storage Tubes

How do I store silver rounds? Is one of the most frequently asked question that comes up from new investors, coin collectors and silver stackers.

The simple answer is to use plastic storage tubes that are specifically made for holding silver rounds and silver coins. Several manufacturers produce popular plastic silver round storage tubes in specific dimensions. The design of the storage tubes makes it easy to protect your investment in silver rounds and make them easier to organize and stack.

Plastic tubes can hold multiple silver rounds and provide protection against scratches and contaminants. These tubes are also easy to stack and store.

What size are Silver Rounds?

Which size silver round storage tubes you need will depend on the weight and dimensions of the silver rounds you have. Most silver rounds come in standard weights, such as 1/2 troy ounce, 1 troy ounce, 2 troy ounces and 5 troy ounces.

The actual diameter and thickness of each size rounds will vary slightly by manufacturer and mint. One ounce bullion rounds can vary between 35 mm to 40 mm in diameter, with a thickness variances between 3 mm and 4 mm. Typically, most generic 1 oz silver rounds are around 38 mm – 39 mm in diameter.

Silver Rounds that weigh 1/2 troy ounce are slightly smaller, most have a diameter of 32.6 mm and roughly 2.25 mm thick.

With these dimensions in mind, there are several manufacturers that make silver round storage tubes that fit these dimensions.

CoinSafe Medallion Storage Tubes

Silver Round Storage Tubes

CoinSafe Medallion Tubes are one of the most popular silver round storage tubes available. Each tube holds twenty 1 oz silver rounds. The storage tubes have a square shape so you can stack them on top of each other. You can store multiple tubes densely for a nice compact storage solution for your silver rounds.

CoinSafe Medallion Tubes can be purchased individually from Amazon or on eBay or can be purchased more economically in lots of 5, 10 or 20 tubes.

CoinSafe American Silver Eagle Storage Tubes

American Silver Eagle coins have a slightly larger diameter than their silver round counterpart. Silver Eagle 1 oz coins are 40.6mm in diameter and will be too large for a CoinSafe Medallion Tube.

CoinSafe manufacturers a similar square tube that is slightly larger. The design of the Silver Eagle Size Tube allows for the storage of 20 American Silver Eagle 1 oz coins in a single tube. You can buy Silver Eagle Size CoinSafe storage tubes from Amazon or eBay at a very low price.

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Where can I buy the cheapest American Silver Eagles?

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The cheapest American Silver Eagle coins for sale on the secondary market are usually “Cull” coins. The condition of Cull Silver Eagle coins will vary from dealer to dealer and from batch to batch. The conditions will usually show:

  • Signs of scratches
  • Some wear and tear
  • Signs of circulation and handling
  • May have been cleaned
  • May have been painted
  • Imperfections or other damage
  • May be tarnished from age or exposure to air

Since the American Silver Eagle coin is considered a bullion coin (as opposed to proof coins), a cull coin will still contain 1 troy ounce of silver. Even in cull condition American Silver Eagle coins are still the most recognized
government bullion coin in the world. The cheapest American Silver Eagle coins you can buy will be ones in cull condition.

Where to buy the Cheapest Silver Eagles Online

Dealers that offer cull condition and secondary market American Silver Eagle coins will have product listings on their website. The description or title of the listing will identify the coins as Random Year or Cull American Silver Eagle coins. FindBullionPrices.com
racks the prices of both Random Year American Silver Eagle coins and Cull American Silver Eagle coins from a variety of reputable national bullion dealers.

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How to get the Best Silver Prices

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Many beginning and seasoned veteran precious metals investors ask the question: How Can I Get the Best Silver Prices?

For many, browsing numerous websites of online dealers and comparing the prices of similar products is way they’ve been doing it for years.

Take for example the price of 2019 American Silver Eagle coins. The typical premium over spot price can vary from $3 to over $5 per coin. With the spot price of silver hovering around $15 per troy ounce, the markup is 20-30%.

When you compare that to generic 10 oz Silver Bars, the premium that dealers charge over spot price ranges from around 70 cents to $2.00 per troy ounce. The dealer premium over spot price range for 10 oz Silver Bars is much lower, only around 4.5% to 13%.

Investing in silver, gold and other precious metals is typically seen as a long term investment or hedge against inflation. While the price of silver and gold is likely to rise over time the premium that you pay when you buy is difficult to recapture down the road when it becomes time to sell.

Sovereign coins, such as Silver Eagles and Canadian Silver Maple Leafs, that are government backed, often retain some of their premium on the secondary market. Even though the price of silver can swing dramatically over the course of a year, waiting until you’ve recaptured the premium you paid over spot price can feel like an eternity.

Finding the lowest premium over spot price is the single most important factor that investors use in making purchasing decisions. FindBullionPrices.com compares the dealer premiums across all of the major online bullion dealers in a single place.

We pull prices from bullion dealer websites’ 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide investors with the information they need to make purchase decisions at the time they are ready to buy silver.

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Buying Silver Bullion on eBay

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When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a small commission. More information about our affiliate programs can be found here.

The major online silver bullion dealers all have eBay Stores as well. Silver deals can be found on eBay from trusted and reputable sellers. Most of the time the prices offered by the major dealers on eBay are comparable to the credit card prices for the same items listed on their websites. When combined with special offers such as eBay Bucks or periodic eBay 10-15% discount coupons it is possible to get great deals on silver bullion below spot price.

The best deals for buying silver on eBay come at times when eBay is offering a promotion. Periodically throughout each financial quarter, eBay runs promotions involving their eBay Bucks program which increase the eBay Bucks earning to as much as 10% on qualified purchases. At other times, eBay may offer a one-time use discount coupon that could be as much as 10% or 15% of a single purchase.

Buying Silver on eBay During Promotional Periods

Buying silver on eBay during promotional periods is almost like getting a 10% discount on silver bullion. eBay Bucks is a rewards program that acts similar to the way cash-back credit card programs work. Normally, eBay Bucks earns a 1% reward on qualified purchases.

When eBay runs an eBay Bucks promotion the increase in the cash-back reward can be as high as 10%. The cash-back rewards accumulate through each financial quarter and become eligible and must be spent during the first month of the subsequent financial quarter.

When shopping for silver and gold bullion on eBay the prices and premiums often seem unrealistically high, even from trusted and reputable dealers. This is partly due to the fees eBay charges sellers for listings. As well, PayPal fees are typically incorporated into the cost as well. Combined, these fees can make the cost of some products up to 10% to 15% higher than they seem on bullion dealer websites.

However, not all silver bullion purchases will be eligible for earning eBay Bucks or for purchasing with a discount coupon. Items that are specifically or cross-listed in “Bullion” categories are automatically ineligible. Just as gift cards are typically ineligible as well. This is due to a combination of anti-money laundering laws relating to untraceable cash equivalents as well as specific eBay Policies regarding discounts of items in certain categories where sellers are often provided with discounted fees.

Comparing eBay Prices to Those Found on Dealer’s Websites

When comparing prices on eBay for Silver and Gold bullion it’s important to make sure that you’re comparing it to the Credit Card/PayPal price that is listed on the dealer’s websites. This is the closest comparable price.

In addition to the normal fees that PayPal and other credit card processors charge the dealers, eBay tacks on as much as 10% or so in additional fees for each item sold through it’s platform. In some cases, each dealer has a negotiated contract which provides them with lower fees because of the large volume of purchases.

In some cases, the dealers will absorb the extra fee and in some cases it is passed on to the customer with a slightly higher premium than the dealer would charge on their own website.

Typically, dealers like APMEX, Bullion Exchanges, Liberty Coin and BOLD Precious Metals will sell silver bullion on eBay that is eligible for eBay Bucks and other promotions. Dealer’s are aware of when the promotions are running and will often adjust their pricing on eBay accordingly knowing that savvy buyers are looking for a good deal.

During the promotion periods it’s common to find both foreign silver coins and Pre-1933 US Gold coins available for close to or below spot price when factoring in the promotional discount or earned eBay Bucks.