The 1993 Silver American Eagles once again showed a split in trends when it came to the bullion and proof versions of the coin.
Most likely owing to a rise in the average price of silver, the bullion Eagles saw a million plus increase for the year. Inversely, however, the Proof Eagles dropped to the second lowest mintage seen in the strikes for their first quarter century of availability.
Historic silver charts show the precious metal averaged $4.31 an ounce for 1993 showing an increase of $.36 over where it had been in 1992. The first quarter of the year was very disappointing for the precious metal with it bottoming out at $3.56 an ounce before starting an upward trend with December ending at $5.12 an ounce.
This gradual climb led to the bullion Eagles tallying up an astonishing 6,763,762 sold during the year – an increase of 1,223,694 coins (or 22%). This jump would not last, however, and would fall the next year.
Shown below in the table is the number of bullion Silver Eagles ordered in each month of 1993 from the US Mint. These numbers do not necassarilly indicate the year-dated mintage, however, as some of these coins may have been struck in another year.
1993 Bullion Silver Eagles Sold
| January | 825,000 | July | 250,000 | |
| February | 850,000 | August | 550,000 | |
| March | 510,000 | September | 480,000 | |
| April | 425,000 | October | 50,000 | |
| May | 500,000 | November | 125,000 | |
| June | 455,000 | December | 870,000 |
Proof Silver Eagles dropped to their all-time low in 1993 (only to be beaten out for that low ranking the next year). Continuing their third year decline, Proofs accounted for only 405,913 sold – a decrease of 92,741 (or 18.6%).
These results are a bit interesting as the 1993 Proofs marked the first year in which the coins were struck at the US Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. Typically, collectors would usually be a bit more excited over a new mintmark for a coin, but that apparently was not the case for these strikes. Still, with the low mintage seen for the year, these strikes generally carry a decent premium over other years on the secondary market.
The 1993 Proof Silver Eagles were sold by the Mint for $23 a piece.
1993 Silver Eagle Mintages
| Bullion Mintage: | 6,763,762 |
| Proof Mintage: | 405,913 |
1993 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 |
1993 Silver Eagle Design
| Mint Mark: | Bullion – None, Proof – ‘S’ |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| Obverse Designer: | Adolph A. Weinman |
| Reverse Designer: | John Mercanti |