President Ronald Reagan signed the Liberty Coin Act into law on July 9th, 1985, launching the inaugural year of the US Silver Eagle. The act was created in the interests of reducing the federal deficit, which at the time was climbing to 40% of the GDP. The idea for selling bullion by striking coins was first brought up by Idaho Senator James A. McClure; previously, silver had been used in US coins for circulation, but never before simply to sell off silver bullion.
Public demand for the coin was high enough that over five million specimens sold in the first two months of the series, and this doesn't count the proof sales. The coins sold at only a small premium over the spot price of silver at the time, which was $5.47 during the 1985 fiscal year.
The coin's obverse design was the same as used for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar series, 1916-1947, designed by Adolph A. Weinman. This has proved to be one of the most widely admired US coin obverse designs, as the sharp relief detail and classical art-deco design bring out the natural beauty and dignity in the silver. The reverse is a heraldic eagle and shield design by John M. Mercanti. It is a design close to that of the Great Seal of the United States.
As is typical with the first year of a series, perfect gem-quality MS70 grades of 1986 Silver Eagles in uncirculated condition are difficult to come by. Investors who were savvy enough to obtain these coins when they first came out have realized a healthy return on their purchase value. But as the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is now!
Shipping & Returns Policy
General Terms:
All users of this site agree that access to and use of this site are subject to the following terms and conditions and other applicable law. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use this site. We strive to ship all package within 7 business days of full payment of order (except in the case of a preorder), however, due to the inherent nature of unique collectible products, at times this might not be possible. Because of the nature of the Internet, online ordering your purchase from CoinsTV acknowledges that you have read and agree to these terms and conditions.
CoinsTV Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) Policy
- All order changes or cancellations must be reported prior to shipping and by phone on 1-833-482-6467. Returns must include a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) Number. The RMA number can be obtained from our Customer Service department at 1-833-482-6467. All calls requesting RMA should be in the time designed for them (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday EST, excluding the national and religious holidays).
- Collectible coin and packaging items may be returned for a replacement or a complete refund with 30 days of receipt of the order. Bullion items are final sale items and are not returnable.
- All returned orders may be subject to quality, authenticity and originality tests by CoinsTV testing facility or by a third party authorized by CoinsTV. Upon the explained test(s) results, nondefective items may be subject to a 20% restocking fee.
- CoinsTV reserves the right to refuse any request or actual return, exchange or refund if it does not meet our stated terms.
For our full Shipping and Returns policy, please visit the Shipping Policy in our footer.