Authorized by Title II of Public Law 99-61 (Liberty Coin Act, approved July 9, 1985) and codified as 31 U.S.C. § 5112(e)-(h), the American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States.

It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce size which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver.

U.S. Silver Bullion

The obverse of the Silver Eagle is a copy of Adolph A. Weinman's design for the Liberty Walking half dollar produced from 1916 through 1947. Dominating the center field inside a flat rim, a full-length Liberty wears a long windswept dress, accented with alternating bands of vertical stripes and blank panels, right arm extended with open hand, and left arm cradling a "bouquet" of laurel and oak branches. A wind-rippled American flag is behind Liberty, its end wrapped around her left arm. Liberty walks to the left across a plain, with a rim of mountains at the bottom accented by the sun with a burst of rays. A well-spaced LIBERTY follows along a little more than the top half of the coin inside the rim, with the letters BER partially obscured by the image of Liberty and the flag. IN GOD WE TRUST, two words on each of two lines, is located at the lower right, nearly touching the fabric of Liberty's gown.

The reverse displays a heraldic eagle with upswept wings and a Union shield across the breast, holding in its beak a flowing banner displaying E PLURIBUS to the left and UNUM to the right. The right claw holds an olive branch, the left a cluster of arrows. Above the eagle are 13 five-point stars, arranged in four rows with five stars at the top, then four, three, and finally one star on the bottom. Near the eagle on the right, below the left claw, are the initials JM for John Mercanti, the reverse designer. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircles the top half of the coin inside a flat rim, and 1 OZ. FINE SILVER ~ ONE DOLLAR completes the text circle at the bottom, the two phrases separated by centered dots. Silver Eagles have been minted at San Francisco, Philadelphia, and West Point; S, P, and W mintmarks (mostly on proofs, though also used on the 2006 20th Anniversary bullion sets) are located to the lower left of the eagle’s right claw.