1996 American Silver Eagle Coin (BU)

The 1996 American Silver Eagle holds a specific distinction within the series: with a bullion-strike mintage of just 3,603,386 coins, it is the lowest-production business strike in the entire American Silver Eagle program — a record that still stands. Every other year in the series outpaced it. For date-set collectors and bullion buyers alike, that number matters. This is the same 1 troy oz of .999 fine silver, the same U.S. Mint production, and the same iconic design as every other year — but in a quantity no other standard bullion year has matched since.

Key Features:

• Purity and weight: 1 troy oz of .999 fine silver
• Metal: Silver
• Obverse: Walking Liberty striding left toward the sunrise, carrying oak and laurel branches; inscribed Liberty, 1996, and In God We Trust
• Reverse: Heraldic eagle with shield, holding an olive branch and arrows; inscribed United States of America, E Pluribus Unum, and 1 oz. Fine Silver — One Dollar
• Mintage: 3,603,386 — the lowest bullion-strike mintage in ASE series history

The obverse carries Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty — originally designed for the U.S. half dollar in 1916 and selected for the Silver Eagle program at its 1986 launch. The full-length figure strides left across the coin, the American flag draped over her shoulders and billowing behind her, a bundle of oak and laurel in her outstretched arm, a rising sun at her feet. The composition fills the field with natural energy and fine drapery detail that rewards close examination.

The reverse features John Mercanti’s Heraldic Eagle, wings spread wide above a striped shield. The eagle holds an olive branch in one talon and a cluster of arrows in the other, with a ribbon inscribed E Pluribus Unum in its beak and a constellation of thirteen stars above its head. This Type I reverse ran from 1986 through 2021, and the 1996 issue represents it at its scarcest annual production.

Each coin is struck in brilliant uncirculated condition by the U.S. Mint and carries $1 face value as legal U.S. tender. Surface marks consistent with BU handling are possible.

Add the 1996 American Silver Eagle to your cart today.