The Silver Eagle is a genuine legal tender silver bullion coin struck by the United States Mint. It has been made each year since 1986 and is the largest, heaviest and purest silver coin in U.S. history. As the inaugural year of the series, the 1986 Silver Eagle in particular has always been extremely popular with collectors. We arranged for the best 1986 coins to be independently graded and certified as in Mint State 69 (abbreviated MS69) condition. All coins are graded on a 70-point scale, with MS-70 representing the highest, most flawless condition possible, so this coin is just one grade away from being in absolutely perfect condition and is thus still relatively affordable.
The Silver Eagle is minted from one ounce of .9993 pure silver. The obverse features Adolph A. Weinman’s famous “Walking Liberty” design that first appeared on U.S. Silver Half Dollars from 1916-1947. This is one of the most beautiful coin designs of all time and features Lady Liberty striding forward in a flowing gown and wrapped by the American flag. The reverse depicts a heraldic eagle together with the U.S. Government’s guarantee that the coin contains “1 Oz. Fine Silver” and the face value of “One Dollar.” The coin is encapsulated in a tamper-proof holder to protect its condition for the future. This guarantees the coin’s authenticity and condition as long as the case remains intact.
Silver Politics
As might be expected, not everyone liked the idea of this largesse, and by the 1890s America was firmly split into pro-silver and anti-silver fractions. Indeed, the “silver question” formed a primary focus of the 1896 presidential campaign that pitted Democrat William Jennings Bryan against Republican William McKinley, who won the election. Silver was again in the news in the 1900 presidential election, with the same two adversaries debating the silver issue, and with the same results.
In the two campaigns, 1896 and 1900, the Republican Party, with William McKinley, of Ohio, as its candidate for President, endorsed gold as a single monetary standard, and was successful. The Democratic and several lesser parties sponsored William Jennings Bryan, of Nebraska, for their presidential candidate, and advocated the free coinage of silver to be standard money with gold at the ratio of 16 to 1. Debates over the issue were heated, and opinions were divided even among members of the same political parties.
Bryan promoted his plan for pricing silver at the ratio of16 to 1 by producing numerous medals and tokens with images and slogans advocating his ideas. The price of silver bullion in 1896 made the composition of the silver dollar worth fifty-three cents, thus inviting the criticism often seen on Bryan’s coins that stated “In God We Trust For The Other 47 Cents.” Other satirical “coins” were made of base metal and in over-size format representing the weight that would be necessary to equal the stated face value of silver coins.
The so-called Bryan Money is unique as a collectible series and contains many rarities. All examples of these historic items are of interest to numismatists and deemed valuable. The monetary-political issue, conditions and temperament of the time, and the tolerance of disregard for the letter of the law, made possible what never before or may never again occur in American numismatics.