2011 American Silver Eagle NGC MS69

2011 Silver Eagle

The 2011 Silver Eagle celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the creation of this beautiful bullion series, which began in 1986 as a way to compete with the world precious metals markets with tangible metal made in affordable pieces with the United States of America stamped into its design. The American Silver Eagle was an exciting release then, and with well over a hundred million coins sold to date, continues to be an exciting release each year.

In recognition of the special occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Silver Eagle, the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) has changed the overprint text for their labels to include a line commemorating the anniversary at the top of the label for each coin graded. This special labeling was the first of its kind and adds a special notation to a year run of Silver Eagles!

2011 Silver Eagle Design

When the American Silver Eagle program was announced, collectors were eager to see the coin's release since the obverse design was to be the regeneration of a favorite classic coin design used on US half dollars from 1916-1947. The 'Walking Liberty' design originally created by German born designer Adolph A. Weinman was one of several designs released during the period unofficially recognized as the renaissance of art in United States coinage. It's grace and beauty transcends time, as is proven by its successful use to this day on the Silver Eagle coin.

The design used on the reverse of the Silver Eagle is the work of 12th Chief Engraver of the US Mint, John M Mercanti. It incorporates a heraldic eagle design with symbols found on coins going all the way back to the beginning of the first US Mint in Philadelphia. The Eagle is protected by a striped shield and carries an olive branch for peace in one talon, and arrows signifying defense in its other talon. A ribbon in its beak carries on the traditional Latin phrase 'E Pluribus Unum,' meaning 'of many, one' speaking of the many states that unite to form one country. Thirteen stars fill the upper field area in a triangle shape, one for each of the original thirteen states of the United States.

NGC MS69 – making the grade

This coin is graded MS69 by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). The NGC grading scale works on a 70 point scale with 1 being a barely recognizable coin to a 70 being a coin that appears as-minted without flaws. MS69 is one point off the ultimate grade of 70, which means that a couple of very minor flaws could exist on the coin, visible only through magnification, which can detract from the overall appearance of the coin only slightly. It is a very affordable way to own a nearly perfect coin!