Complete History of the Silver Eagle Coin

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The Liberty Coin Act was signed into law by Ronald Reagan on July 9, 1985. This was the birth of the American Silver Eagle. This authorized the sale of a bullion coin that would be minted from the silver located in National Defense Stockpile and sold to the general public. It does have a clause that does mention a proof coin in a confirming amendment contained in the act. The act required a depiction of liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse with no other specific design details. It was decided that the Walking Liberty design by Adolph Weinman would be used for the obverse. It was one of the most beloved coins of it’s time. John Mercanti would design the reverse of the coin and did some minor adaptations to the obverse design.to strengthen it and to adapt it from a half dollar to a dollar. The first coin was struck October 29, 1986 and was released November 24, 1986. Treasury James Baker chose the eagle design by Mercanti as the reverse. This began America's love affair with the American Silver Eagle.