American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program

American Silver Eagles are hugely popular coins — a third of a billion have been sold since 1986. They're collected by numismatists, stockpiled by investors, and treasured by silver buyers throughout the United States and around the world. Until now, there has been no encyclopedic book-length study made on our nation's cornerstone bullion program. In "American Silver Eagles, " no less an expert than John M. Mercanti — 12th chief engraver of the U.S. Mint, and the designer of the coin's reverse — shares his unique insight and perspective on these beautiful pieces of Americana.

A foreword by Michael Reagan (whose father, President Ronald Reagan, signed the legislation authorizing these historic coins) presents the book and its distinguished authors. In the introduction, Mercanti offers an insightful overview of his own career within the Mint, especially as it relates to the American Silver Eagle. Chapter 1 discusses the "why " and " how " of the United States entrance into the modern bullion market. Chapter 2 is Mercanti's behind-the-scenes history of the American Silver Eagle, its design development, the minting process, and other elements of the coinage series.

Chapter 3 presents a detailed date-by-date study of each American Silver Eagle, plus varieties and sets, with high-resolution photographs, rarity information, values, certified-coin populations, surface and strike characteristics, market details, and move. In chapter 4, you get an illustrated overview of other coins in our nation's bullion program, setting the American Silver Eagle in the context of a larger constellation of silver, gold, platinum, and palladium coins.

Several appendices compile the book's data in convenient chart format for easy coin-by-coin comparisons; a glossary of numismatic terms offers guidance to the beginning and intermediate collector and a refresher for the advanced numismatist; and the index provides a convenient resource for looking up information. These diverse elements — technical and artistic, historical and current, market-driven and hobbyist — combine to make "American Silver Eagles" a valuable addition to any collector's or investor's bookshelf.