Anniversary celebrations continue for the American Eagle program from the United States Mint with today’s release of the 2016-W Uncirculated American Silver Eagle.
The new strike marks the thirtieth year since the inaugural release of the series and so this edition has a special "30th ANNIVERSARY" edge inscription. The lettered edge replaces the standard reeded treatment, for this year only. Congress directed the anniversary inscription as part of the larger FAST Act which was signed into law last year.
Unchanged from the past, each coin is produced to an uncirculated finish from 1.000 troy ounce of 99.9% fine silver.
American Silver Eagles were first issued by the U.S. Mint in 1986. That year saw both bullion and proof versions. Twenty years later, the uncirculated edition debuted and has been issued annually ever since with the exception of 2009 and 2010 when available blanks were reserved for bullion production.
Whether bullion, proof or uncirculated, the coins have always showcased the same obverse (heads side) and reverse (tails side) imagery. This includes Adolph A. Weinman’s iconic Walking Liberty design on the obverse with John Mercanti’s heraldic eagle on the reverse.
Uncirculated Silver Eagles are produced at the U.S. Mint’s facility in West Point and carry the ‘W’ mintmark on their reverse. Other specifications include a diameter of 1.598 inches (40.60 mm) and a thickness of 0.120 inch (3.05 mm).
For the record, recent annual sales of the coin have ranged from about 222,000 to around 254,000. Expect more than 100,000 of the new release to sell within the next few days.
Ordering
Priced at $44.95, order 2016-W 30th Anniversary Uncirculated American Silver Eagles directly from the United States Mint via its online store, located here. Phone orders are accepted by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
No mintage, household or product limits are in place for this release. Each coin ships in a standard blue presentation case.
Update (Dec. 2): The U.S. Mint at 12:05 p.m. ET said first-day sales reached 126,902 coins.
