Near the end of this month, May 29th to be exact, the United States Mint is slated to release the 2019 One Ounce Uncirculated (Burnished as we know it) American Silver Eagle. While we have offered it for many years and most likely the explanation of what exactly a burnished silver Eagle is has been a repetitive event on the show, the idea of refreshing one’s coin collecting knowledge can never be shied away from.
So what is a burnished American Silver Eagle?
Beginnings
The American Silver Eagle was first introduced to us, the coin collecting hobby, in 1986 after the passage of the Liberty Coin Act of 1985. It was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan and since then, has turned into the most popular silver bullion option in the world.
Although the silver American Eagle began in 1986, the burnished version did not make an appearance until 2006 when the US Mint commissioned the responsibility of it’s issuing to the West Point Mint. The production of the smooth, matte-like finish is achieved using special planchets. The minting process involves a strike on the burnished blanks before being struck with the American Silver Eagle die. Each coin bears a ‘W’ mintmark representing the West Point Mint.
Production for this new version of an uncirculated Eagle was continued until 2008 and halted in 2009 and 2010. It resumed in 2011 but not without leaving a very confused impression on devout coin collectors and dealers.
Burnished American Eagle Appearances
The 2006 W made an appearance in a standalone fashion inside Original Government Packaging and a protective plastic capsule, but perhaps it’s most popular of appearances was contained inside the first-ever American Silver Eagle anniversary set. It was one of three issues in the 20th Anniversary set that included the first-ever reverse proof American Silver Eagle in addition to a proof version. The three-piece set is still very highly regarded and sought after today.
Since then, burnished releases have made their way in the 25th Anniversary Set as well. “Releases” you may ask? Two burnished versions of the popular coin were introduced into the five-piece set with the traditional ‘W’ mintmark as well as the rare and difficult-to-find 2011 S minted at San Francisco.
Although no longer in production, the burnished silver Eagle also made its way into the Annual Dollar Sets. Except for the brief hiatus on the Eagle production, those sets were made from 2007-2016 (except 2011) when the Presidential dollar coin series halted.
Annual Releases
As mentioned before, the Mint took a break producing the burnished silver Eagle in 2009 and 2010 but have continued on into the present day. A special edition lettered edge was released in 2016 as the American Silver Eagle program as a whole celebrated its 30th Anniversary. It was the first time the beloved bullion piece had a smooth finish rim with the anniversary lettering. NGC even changed the design of their traditional four-pronged holders to three prongs to make the edge visible to collectors.
Burnished silver Eagles have some of the lowest mintages compared to that of the roll edition and proof versions. For example, the 2006 W coin had a mintage of just 468,020. Although the Mint still produces a large number every year, especially in 2011 after the break, their production level has dropped off quite a bit since its beginnings. It is still the lowest in mintage every year when it compares to the roll edition and proof versions.
The Adolph A. Weinman 2018 design is currently unavailable from the US Mint with no listed date as to when they will be made available again.