The 1991 Silver American Eagles showed an inverse relationship when it came to the sales of the bullion versions versus the proof versions. The sale of the Bullion Eagles rose significantly while the Proof Eagles experienced a drastic decline.
Once again, as had been seen in the previous years, the continual slide in the price of silver probably most affected the bullion coin sales. Silver averaged only $4.05 and ounce for the year with the low dropping down to $3.61 near the end of February and the high occurring mid-June at $4.57 an ounce.
That being said, the bullion Eagles jumped to 7,191,066 – a number that had not been attained in the previous three years and would not be overcome for several more. It calculated out to an increase of 1,350,956 over 1990 or a 23% improvement.
The table below shows the total number of silver bullion Eagles ordered by the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers during each month of 1991. The numbers do not directly indicate the total year-dated mintage for the strikes, however, as some of the coin’s may have been minted in other years. For the specific year-dated mintage, see further below.
1991 Bullion Silver Eagles Sold
| January | 1,800,000 | July | 210,000 | |
| February | 1,235,000 | August | 160,000 | |
| March | 880,000 | September | 150,000 | |
| April | 508,000 | October | 260,000 | |
| May | 210,000 | November | 250,000 | |
| June | 170,000 | December | 1,119,000 |
Proof Silver Eagles on the other hand showed a decline in their sales. The Mint was still charging the same price as it had been for the collector versions the previous few years, but buyers seemed wary of the growing gap between the intrinsic value of the coins and what they were selling for.
In total, only 511,925 of the coins were sold by the Mint – a drop of 183,585 from 1990. This equals approximately a loss of 26%.
All the specifications, designs and mintages were still the same as they were for the 1990 strike.
The 1991 Proof Silver Eagles were sold by the Mint for $23 a piece.
1991 Silver Eagle Mintages
| Bullion Mintage: | 7,191,066 |
| Proof Mintage: | 511,924 |
1991 Silver Eagle Specifications
| Weight: | 31.101 grams (1.000 ounces) |
| Diameter: | 1.598 inches (40.60 mm) |
| Thickness: | 0.117 inches (2.98 mm) |
| Composition: | 99.93% silver, 0.07% copper |
1991 Silver Eagle Design
| Mint Mark: | Bullion – None, Proof – ‘S’ |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| Obverse Designer: | Adolph A. Weinman |
| Reverse Designer: | John Mercanti |
1991 Silver Eagles on eBay