I have loved collecting silver coins for years. And of all silver bullion coins in my possession, I have to admit I am fondest of the American Silver Eagle. These silver coins are a popular part of American History, which was authorized by Congress in 1985.  The Silver Eagle silver coin was first released a year later in 1986.

When buying silver coins, I often am first attracted to the silver coins design. And the design of the Silver Eagle is great. It is taken from the Walking Liberty Half Dollar silver coin, released for circulation in the U.S. from the years 1916 to 1947. The Silver Eagle is considered to be one of the most beautiful U.S. silver coins ever created. The reverse features a heraldic eagle, designed by John Mercanti especially for the Silver Eagle coin.

If you love rarities, these silver coins in the American Eagle have one great error coin to look for. This error silver coin came in 2008, when for the first time in the American Silver Eagle series, a significant variety was released. This was known as the 2008-W Silver Eagle Reverse of 2007 Variety. The US Mint had slightly altered the reverse design between 2007 and 2008, and they inadvertently struck some 2008 silver coins with the 2007 reverse type. The variety occurs on the 2008-W Uncirculated Silver Eagle. This is the collectible uncirculated or “burnished” version of the silver coins that the US Mint sold directly to collectors. On the Reverse of 2007, the “U” in “United States” will be bowl shaped and the dash between the words “Silver” and “One” will be shaped like a tilde. On the reverse of 2008, the “U” will have a spur on the right side of the letter and the dash will be angled.

The Reverse of 2007 Variety is the scarcer version of the coin and carries a big premium. Shortly after the discovery of the coin, the US Mint estimated that approximately 47,000 of the variety may have been released. This estimate was based on the fact that West Point Mint employees found 15 dies with the reverse type of 2007.

Both PCGS and NGC attribute this variety as “Reverse of 2007″. Top graded examples of this important variety have been in strong demand since the initial discovery.

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Eagle National Mint Are you interested in collecting silver coins? If so, some of the finest and most collectible silver coins, plus gold and platinum coins and other collectibles, can be found online at Eagle National Mint.

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