# American Silver Eagle mintage figures
American Silver Eagle mintage figures are the year-by-year production and sales counts for the [United States Mint](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-mint)'s one-ounce silver bullion coin, published since the series began in 1986. Regular bullion issues carry no mintage cap, so their output is set by demand, while proof, burnished, and special-finish versions may carry announced maximum limits and much smaller mintages.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First year | 1986 bullion sales of 5,393,005 coins[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) |
| Series low (bullion year) | 3,603,386 coins in 1996[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) |
| Record year | 47,000,000 coins in 2015[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) |
| Rarest regular proof | 1995-W, 30,125 struck[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) |
| 2011-S proof mintage | 99,882 coins[3](https://coinmintages.com/american-silver-eagles-mintage/) |
| Cumulative output | 679,002,482 bullion coins, 1986 through 2026[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) |
| Recent trend | 11,568,000 coins in 2025 and 9,730,500 in 2026 year to date, with 2025 the lowest full year since 2007[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) • [4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history) |
| 2026 collector cap | 2026-W Proof limited to 500,000 coins, with dual dates 1776–2026 and a one-year Liberty Bell "250" privy mark[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) |
## What the mintage figures measure
Three different numbers circulate for the same coin year, and they are not interchangeable. The Mint's bullion-sales page at usmint.gov reports bullion sales per calendar year,[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) and periodic Mint reports give production totals for proof and burnished collector coins as of a report date.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) Bullion statistics can differ between sources because final production totals, sales totals, and facility-level production are not always identical, so collectors distinguish bullion sales figures from final audited numismatic mintages.[5](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/5/1-oz-us-silver-eagle.php)
A Mint response to a Freedom of Information Act request shows how facility-level splits complicate the totals: in 1988, 755,000 coins were struck at one facility and 4,249,646 at another, for 5,004,646 total; in 1989 the split was 4,038,045 and 1,165,282, for 5,203,327.[6](https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/mint-foia-response-confirms-origins-of-american-eagles) Bullion coins are also struck at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and West Point depending on the year, so the same annual total can come from different combinations of plants.[7](https://www.coincommunity.com/us_silver_eagles/)
**Why the versions differ.** Regular bullion brilliant uncirculated Silver Eagles have no capped mintage; production is driven by demand and the Mint's physical capacity. Some proof, burnished, and special-finish versions have announced mintage caps set by the Mint.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) The physical reason for the gap is manufacturing: bullion coins are struck once on standard planchets at volume, while proof coins require special planchets, multiple strikes, and hand-feeding, and burnished coins require special planchets and hand-feeding, which limits how many can be made.[8](https://www.herobullion.com/silver-eagle-mintages/)
## Year-by-year mintage record
The bullion record, compiled from the Mint's bullion-sales data, runs as follows for the years readers most often ask about: 5,393,005 in 1986; 11,442,335 in 1987; 5,004,646 in 1988; 5,203,327 in 1989; 5,840,210 in 1990; a trough of 3,603,386 in 1996; 10,676,552 in 2006; and then the crisis-era climb of 20,583,000 in 2008, 30,459,000 in 2009, and 34,764,500 in 2010.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) • [9](https://www.silveragecoins.com/en/guide?country=32&size=2p1s0000&type=166) • [7](https://www.coincommunity.com/us_silver_eagles/) Sales cleared 33 million coins for six straight years, with 44,006,000 in 2014 and the record 47,000,000 in 2015.[4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history) • [7](https://www.coincommunity.com/us_silver_eagles/)
Recent years show the cooling: 30,089,500 in 2020, 28,275,000 in 2021, 15,963,500 in 2022, 24,750,000 in 2023, 22,860,000 in 2024, 11,568,000 in 2025, and 9,730,500 in 2026 year to date.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) The 2026 number is a year-to-date figure that can increase before the year closes and should not be treated as the final annual mintage.[5](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/5/1-oz-us-silver-eagle.php) Mintage tables themselves carry the same caveat: figures are subject to change and reflect the most current information as of a stated report date.[10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/)
## How production limits work
The Mint's authority to cap collector products is exercised through announced maximum mintages, such as the 75,000-coin limit on the 2020-W V75 privy proof and the 500,000 limit on the 2026-W proof.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) Regular bullion output, by contrast, is uncapped and rises and falls with orders from authorized purchasers.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart)
**Planchet supply can be a binding constraint.** The Mint did not strike any burnished Silver Eagles from 2009 to 2010 due to a shortage of silver planchets, and no proof Silver Eagles were struck in 2009; burnished striking resumed in 2011.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) Demand for bullion coins in 2009 was so intense that the Mint suspended proof and burnished production and ran coining presses around the clock amid a global silver shortage.[11](https://www.jmbullion.com/american-silver-eagle-supplemental-bullion-coining/)
## By the numbers
- Record bullion year: 47,000,000 coins in 2015.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm)
- Series average mintage: about 16.6 million coins.[3](https://coinmintages.com/american-silver-eagles-mintage/)
- Rarest regular proof: 1995-W at 30,125.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart)
- 2011-S proof mintage: 99,882.[3](https://coinmintages.com/american-silver-eagles-mintage/)
- Rarest bullion issue: the 2015 (P) "emergency issue" from Philadelphia, approximately 79,640 coins.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart)
- Fastest week ever: 4,000,000 troy ounces sold in the week of January 11–15, 2016.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm)
- Cumulative bullion output: 679,002,482 coins, against 23,411,538 one-ounce Gold Eagles, a silver-to-gold coin ratio of about 29 to 1.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm)
Low mintage alone does not determine value: preservation, certified population, collector demand, and special finish can be equally important.[5](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/5/1-oz-us-silver-eagle.php)
## Demand shocks and turning points
**1996 trough.** Annual sales drifted between three and ten million coins in the series' first decade and bottomed at 3.5 million in 1996.[4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history)
**2008 financial crisis.** Demand nearly doubled in a single year, from about 9.9 million coins in 2007 to 19.6 million in 2008 by one account, and from 9,028,036 to 20,583,000 in the compiled Mint sales data; the two sources differ slightly on the exact figures.[4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history) • [2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) Production more than doubled in 2008 and spiked again in 2020, doubling when demand peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8](https://www.herobullion.com/silver-eagle-mintages/)
**2013–2015 allocation era.** Sales exceeded 33 million for six straight years and peaked at the record 47.0 million in 2015, with 2014 (44.0 million) and 2013 (42.7 million) just behind.[4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history)
**2020–2021 squeeze.** COVID reversed the post-2015 decline overnight, with 30.1 million coins in 2020, and the 2021 silver-squeeze episode held demand at 28.3 million.[4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history)
**2021 Type 1 to Type 2 transition.** The Type 2 reverse, designed by U.S.-Canadian artist Emily Damstra and engraved by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Michael Gaudioso, depicts an eagle in flight clutching oak branches as it prepares to land, and was introduced mid-year.[12](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/) Type 1 bullion coins in 2021 totaled 495,500 at Philadelphia, 11,811,000 at West Point (including 200,000 Last Struck coins), and 1,000,000 at San Francisco; Type 2 bullion totaled 13,968,500 at West Point and 1,000,000 at San Francisco.[12](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/) Total bullion sales for both types were 28,275,000, down about 10 percent from 2020, with no bullion coins sold in May or December because of the design transition.[12](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/) Collector demand was intense: the 2021-W Type 1 proof, priced at $73, sold out within three minutes on February 11, 2021, with final sales of 375,321, and the 2021-W Type 2 proof, also priced at $73 with a 300,000 product limit, sold out within 20 minutes on July 20 and reached a final mintage of 384,279.[12](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/)
## Collector versions: proofs and burnished
Proof mint marks moved with the facilities: proofs were struck at San Francisco with an S mint mark from 1986 to 1992, at Philadelphia with a P mint mark from 1993 to 2000, and at West Point from 2001 onward.[13](https://theprimeasset.com/learn/american-silver-eagle-coin-mintage-by-year/) Early proof mintages were 1,446,778 (1986-S), 904,732 (1987-S), 557,370 (1988-S), and 617,694 (1989-S).[9](https://www.silveragecoins.com/en/guide?country=32&size=2p1s0000&type=166)
Proof output rose through the late 2010s: 651,384 in 2016-W (30th anniversary, lettered edge), 934,234 in 2017-W, 998,637 in 2018-W, 946,127 in 2019-W, and 381,195 in 2020-W, the last affected by COVID delays.[14](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/3/us-mint-proof-silver-eagle.php) Burnished (uncirculated) West Point issues ran far lower: 468,020 in 2006-W, 201,188 in 2015-W, 216,501 in 2016-W, 176,739 in 2017-W, 138,947 in 2018-W, 141,030 in 2019-W, and 154,863 in 2020-W, against bullion outputs of 47,000,000 down to 30,089,500 in the same years.[7](https://www.coincommunity.com/us_silver_eagles/) • [3](https://coinmintages.com/american-silver-eagles-mintage/)
Recent collector figures: 2024 saw 381,214 W proofs, 213,066 S proofs, and 150,342 W burnished coins against roughly 24,862,000 bullion coins, plus two 500,000-coin privy-mark bullion issues struck at Philadelphia (Star Privy and Eagle Privy).[10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/) • [15](https://mycoinmelt.com/bullion/american-silver-eagle/) In 2025 the Mint issued three military privy proofs of roughly 100,000 coins each: Army 99,964, Navy 99,894, and Marine Corps 96,986.[10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/) Sellout behavior is the norm for limited proofs, as the 2021 three-minute and twenty-minute sellouts show, and secondary-market values rise once a coin is no longer available from the Mint.[12](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/)
## Recent developments
Bullion output has fallen sharply. After 24,750,000 coins in 2023, sales were 22,860,000 in 2024, 11,568,000 in 2025, and 9,730,500 in 2026 year to date; 2025 closed as the lowest full year since 2007.[2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm) • [4](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history) Numismatic databases give the 2024 bullion mintage as 24,862,000, a figure that conflicts with the 22,860,000 compiled sales total, and the discrepancy is unresolved between sources of similar standing.[10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/) • [2](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm)
Collector output in 2025 was correspondingly small: 330,981 W proofs, 131,744 S proofs, and 101,992 burnished coins.[10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/) The 2025-W burnished figure itself conflicts across sources: 101,991 per the Mint report cited by one dealer reference, 101,976 and 101,992 per two numismatic databases.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) • [16](https://dollarloves.com/coin-database/american-silver-eagle/) • [10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/) For 2026, the Mint announced a maximum mintage of 500,000 for the W proof with dual dates 1776–2026 and the one-year [Liberty Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/liberty-bell) "250" privy mark, and 2026 mintage figures were still to be determined as of March 5, 2026.[1](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart) • [10](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/)
## References
1. [Silver Eagle Mintage Chart | Low Mintages & 2026 Silver Eagle Preview, GOVMINT](https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/silver-eagles-mintage-chart)
2. [US Treasury Coin Sales, 1986 to date (compiled from US Mint bullion sales data)](https://chickenfactory.net/us_treasury_coin_sales.htm)
3. [American Silver Eagles (1986–Date), Coin Mintages](https://coinmintages.com/american-silver-eagles-mintage/)
4. [40 Years of American Silver Eagle Demand, The Vault Report](https://thevaultreport.com/research/american-silver-eagle-sales-history)
5. [1 oz US Silver Eagle Coin List (1986–2025), Old Coin Online](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/5/1-oz-us-silver-eagle.php)
6. [Mint FOIA response confirms origins of American Eagles, Coin World](https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/mint-foia-response-confirms-origins-of-american-eagles)
7. [American Silver Eagles (1986–Present), Coin Community](https://www.coincommunity.com/us_silver_eagles/)
8. [American Silver Eagle Mintages by Year, Hero Bullion](https://www.herobullion.com/silver-eagle-mintages/)
9. [United States Dollar 1 Ounce Silver Eagle, Silver Age Coins](https://www.silveragecoins.com/en/guide?country=32&size=2p1s0000&type=166)
10. [Silver Eagle Mintages | Mintage Figures Silver Eagle Coins, Silver Eagle Guide](https://silvereagleguide.com/mintages/)
11. [A Look into American Silver Eagle Supplemental Bullion Coining, JM Bullion](https://www.jmbullion.com/american-silver-eagle-supplemental-bullion-coining/)
12. [2021 American Silver Eagle, Silver Eagle Guide](http://silvereagleguide.com/2021-american-silver-eagle/)
13. [American Silver Eagle Coin Mintage (By Year), The Prime Asset](https://theprimeasset.com/learn/american-silver-eagle-coin-mintage-by-year/)
14. [Proof Silver Eagle Coins List by U.S. Mint (1986–2025), Old Coin Online](https://www.oldcoinonline.com/usa-coin/3/us-mint-proof-silver-eagle.php)
15. [American Silver Eagle Mintage — Complete Year-by-Year Data, MyCoinMelt](https://mycoinmelt.com/bullion/american-silver-eagle/)
16. [American Silver Eagle: Weight, Diameter, Composition & Mints, DollarLoves](https://dollarloves.com/coin-database/american-silver-eagle/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Finance › Banknotes, currency issuance, and monetary artifacts › Coins and coinage*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 10, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 10, 2026*
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