1986 S American Silver Eagle 1oz Bullion Coin BU Type 1 FIRST YEAR. Please look at photographs as they form part of the description. All valuations and gradings are subjective. Where multiple items exist, we will send when we can, the highest available grade of the same item at no extra charge. You will never get a lower grade than specified. The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce, which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver. The design on the coin’s obverse was taken from the “Walking Liberty” design by Adolph A. Weinman, which originally had been used on the Walking Liberty Half Dollar coin of the United States from 1916 to 1947. As this iconic design had been a public favorite-and one of the most beloved designs of any United States coinage of modern times, silver or otherwise-it was revived for the Silver Eagle decades later. The obverse is inscribed with the year of minting or issuance, the word LIBERTY, and the phrase IN GOD WE TRUST. From 1986 to 2021, the reverse was designed by John Mercanti and portrayed a heraldic eagle behind a shield; the eagle grasping an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left talon, echoing the Great Seal of the United States; above the eagle are thirteen five-pointed stars representing the Thirteen Colonies. The reverse was inscribed with the phrases UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1 OZ. FINE SILVERONE DOLLAR, and E PLURIBUS UNUM (on the banner that the eagle holds in its beak), as well as the mintmark if applicable. The first American Silver Eagle coin was struck in San Francisco on October 29, 1986. Secretary of the Treasury James A. Baker III presided over the striking ceremony held at the San Francisco Assay Office. According to a Chicago Sun-Times article, as Baker reached for the electronic button on press No. 105, he turned to the audience and said,’I don’t need a pick and shovel to start the San Francisco Silver Rush of 1986. Mintage: 5,393,005 Minted at: San Francisco (no mint mark). Designer – Engraver: Adolph A Weinman Metal Composition: 99.93% Silver – 0.07% Copper. Diameter: 40.6 mm Mass / Weight: 31.101 grams.