1996 American Silver Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1996 American Silver Eagle is a United States dollar from the American Silver Eagles 1986 to Date series — 11th of 41 years in the series. In 1996, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 7.4 million. This ranks 11th of 40 years by total mintage, below the series median of 11.8 million. The obverse features Liberty striding confidently toward the sunrise, draped in the American flag, carrying branches of laurel and oak symbolizing civil and military glory — Adolph Weinman's iconic design adapted from the Walking Liberty Half Dollar and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle behind a shield, designed by John M. Mercanti — the most reproduced coin image in history (1986-2020) or an eagle in flight carrying an oak branch, the redesigned reverse by Emily Damstra introduced in 2021 (2021+). Lower bullion mintage makes the 1996 a semi-key date in the series. Weighing 31.1 grams, 40.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Estimated market value across variants is approximately $186. A notable auction result reached $22K in MS70 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Adolph A. Weinman/John Mercanti.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
