1999 American Silver Eagle

1999 American silver eagles are one-ounce bullion coins with a fineness of .999 fine, which means these coins contain virtually pure silver. That, along with the silver eagle’s widespread recognition around the world helps to make these coins very popular among investors who want a coin that can easily be bought and sold based on the swings in silver spot prices.

However, the American silver eagle isn’t just a bullion coin – it also has quite a following among die-hard numismatists who treasure the coin for its large size (40.6 millimeters) and beautiful design. In fact, you may recognize the obverse design from another American coin – the Walking Liberty half dollar. The Walking Liberty design, created by Adolph A. Weinman, first debuted on the eponymous coin in 1916, and remained on the denomination until 1947. The reverse of the American silver eagle depicts a heraldic eagle, designed by John Mercanti.

Millions of American silver eagles were struck in 1999, with all of them coming from the Philadelphia mint. 7,408,640 uncirculated specimens were made and 549,769 proof examples were struck. Virtually all are in the highest levels of Mint State and Proof grades, though do be careful when buying 1999 American silver eagles that have been cracked out of their U.S. Mint packaging, as many of those pieces have been mishandled and subsequently exhibit splotchy toning, fingerprints, and other surface imperfections.