American Silver Eagles are highly sought after today by coin collectors and investors around the globe. They were first issued in’86, with the honor of being known as America’s only official investment-grade bullion silver coins.

The obverse depicts Adolph A. Weinman’s stunning walking liberty design originally used on U.S. Silver Half Dollars beginning’16 to’47. The reverse design is the John Mercanti version of an eagle and shield, representational of our country’s pride and strength.

Collector’s Proof editions of the American Silver Eagle are put out by the United States Mint and are created through a specialized process using burnished coin blanks that are placed manually through the coin presses which have been outfitted with customized dies. The coin is pressed several times so the gently frosted, yet highly-detailed images seem to hover above a mirror-like background.

Following examination by the Mint’s quality control division, every American Eagle Proof Coin is encased in a protective plastic casing and placed in a striking presentation box with its own official Certificate of Authenticity. Since Silver American Proof Eagles are manufactured by the U.S. Mint, each coin’s weight, purity and content are guaranteed by the United States Government. It is the world’s sole bullion silver coin that can be guaranteed in such a way. American Silver Eagle Proof Coins are strictly limited in mintage and may be purchased directly from the United States Mint.

High-grade examples of silver proof eagles that have been certified by third-party coin evaluators such as NGC and PCGS will almost always cost much more than average uncirculated silver eagles. It is reasonable to say that nearly all high-grade silver eagles and proof silver eagle coins are valued more fittingly to the coin collector and investor public, rather than the silver market.

One additional manner of investing in silver eagle coins is by buying tubes that each include twenty coins factory sealed from the United States Mint. You may often acquire the coins at a pretty good discount when shopping this way, as buying the tubes instead of buying the coins separately through a bulk rate reduction. When sent out from the Mint, each tube comes in a semi-translucent casing with a top that features an official marking by the United States Mint.

Donovan Archer writes articles about collecting silver,platinum and gold coins, including beautiful Silver Eagle Proof coins, as well as unique and rare American Silver Eagle Error Coins from the United States Mint.