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Collecting Silver American Eagles

By James Buchanan
Nov 4, 2009
American Silver Eagles are highly regarded by both collectors and investors, and are some of the most attractive bullion coins that you can possibly acquire for your portfolio or coin collection.

The American Eagle Coin Program started in 1986, and has become the authorized bullion silver coin of the United States of America. Put out by the Mint, American Silver Eagles are unique in that the coins may be included by individuals for the funding of their IRA's.

The United States government produces these silver bullion coins with one troy ounce of .9999 pure silver. This is one of the small number of bullion coins in the world to be designed with such a high amount of silver. The bullion coins have a nominal face value of 1 dollar though the true value of each silver eagle is based on the current spot price of silver.

These silver bullion coins were made and produced with the prominent Walking Liberty design by Adolph A Weinman on the obverse. If you've ever seen the memorable half dollar coins made between the years of 1916 to 1947, then you will surely be familiar with this attractive interpretation of Lady Liberty. This is important in that these coins have helped the design depicted on the silver eagles to become such an iconic figure. The crest on the coin's reverse was crafted by John Mercanti, which features a heraldic eagle with its wings spread.

There are a number of collectors of American Silver Eagles and each has his or her specific motive for becoming caught up in the hobby. Some collectors are in love with the coin's stunning craftsmanship, while others take pleasure in the coins for their possible long term worth.

To determine the value of a individual coin, a number of considerations should be taken into account counting factors like the year that the coin is created, as some years they production figures were lower than others, thereby lowering the overall numbers of bullion coin in the hands of the general public. Coins that were minted in 1993 and 1997 or anniversary editions for instance, tend to be among the bullion coin that collectors are searching out, and bring higher interest when sold through coin dealers or at auctions.

At the moment, American Silver Eagles are enjoying a fantastic rush in popularity, due to the unsure economic climate. As precious metals tend to make a excellent hedge against falling dollar values, investors are in search of the protection offered by gold, platinum and silver bullion coins.
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