1986-2021 35pc Silver American Eagle Proof Set, Type 1 PCGS PR70DCAM

It was on October 29, 1986, that the very first American Silver Eagle coin was struck in San Francisco. Presiding over the striking ceremony was Secretary of the Treasury James A. Baker III. The ceremony was held at the San Francisco Assay Office. It was reported in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times that as Baker reached his hand to the electronic button on coin press No. 105, he turned to the spectators and said, “I don’t need a pick and shovel to start the San Francisco Silver Rush of 1986.”

Proof Silver Eagle coins were produced at the San Francisco Mint from 1986 until 1992, and carry the ‘S’ mintmark. The years 1993 to 2000 saw them minted at the Philadelphia Mint, and thus bear the ‘P’ mintmark. They were struck at West Point from 2001 to 2008, and have the ‘W’ mintmark. There were no proof Silver American Eagles produced in 2009. They started up again in 2010, and the coins in this set from that date up to 2021 again carry the ‘W’ mintmark for West Point.

John Mercanti, the US Mint Engraver who designed the reverse of the American Silver Eagle (1986-2021). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Please note, this set does not include the limited and special edition Proof Silver eagles that were released from the mint (for example: the 1995 W Proof Silver Eagle or the 2012 S Proof Silver Eagle are NOT included in this collection)

The obverse features Adolph A. Weinman’s iconic Walking Liberty in full stride, cloaked in the American flag, with her right hand extended as she carries branches of laurel and oak in her left. From 1986 until 2021 (Type 1), the reverse featured a heraldic eagle with shield, with an olive branch in the right talon, and arrows in the left. This design was crafted by John Mercanti, who was the twelfth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint.