2016 Silver Eagle 30th Anniversary MS70

History

The American Silver Eagle program reached its 30th year in 2016, and the anniversary treatment was imposed by statute rather than chosen by the Mint. The FAST Act, signed on December 4, 2015, directed that proof and uncirculated American Eagle silver coins dated 2016 carry incused edge lettering identifying them as anniversary issues in place of the reeding used since 1986. Because the legislation arrived so late in 2015, release dates for the numismatic coins slipped well past their normal slots: the 2016-W Proof went on sale at noon Eastern on September 16, 2016, and the 2016-W Uncirculated coin followed on December 1. Bullion strikes, which were not covered by the edge mandate, had already been released in early January 2016, during a stretch when the Mint was rationing Silver Eagle allocations.

Details

The obverse carries Adolph A. Weinman's Walking Liberty design, adapted from his 1916 half dollar, while the reverse is the heraldic eagle by John Mercanti, former Sculptor-Engraver of the United States Mint. Each coin contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver. Both the Proof and the Uncirculated anniversary coins were struck at West Point and carry the W mintmark. Their edges are smooth apart from the incused inscription applied during striking.

Features

Liberty strides forward on the obverse draped in the flag, her right hand extended and branches of laurel and oak in her left. Mercanti's reverse eagle holds a shield, with an olive branch in the right talon and arrows in the left. The edge inscription reads 30th ANNIVERSARY, with a lowercase th, rendered in italicized sans-serif letters; the lettering is raised in the collar die so that it appears incuse on the finished coin, applied from one segment of a three-piece segmented collar during the strike rather than in a separate post-strike operation. Mint staff at West Point pulled coins whose edge device was not properly oriented, and an inspector made random visual checks under magnification as pieces came off the press.

Notable facts

• The 2016 numismatic Silver Eagles were the first in the series to abandon the reeded edge used from 1986 onward.
• NGC designed a three-prong EdgeView holder for the issue so the lettered edge remains visible, and offered a commemorative 30th Anniversary certification label at no additional charge alongside its paid Early Releases and First Releases designations.
• Coin World reported mixed collector reaction to the edge marking, with complaints on the Collectors Universe and NGC message boards that the Mint's capsule made the inscription difficult to see.
• NGC graders reported that they had not examined any 30th Anniversary Proof Eagles with what would be considered a defective edge.
• PCGS catalogs pedigreed entries for the issue including a West Point Mint Hoard designation with individual serial numbers and a burnished coin marked as one of 200 from a Mint private auction.