Best Collectible Coins

John Mercanti was the 12th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and designed the American Silver Eagle Reverse. The reverse design is John Mercanti’s rendition of the Heraldic Eagle with a shield grasping an olive branch with one talon and an arrow in the other. Above the eagle are thirteen stars that represent the original thirteen colonies. The eagle holds a banner with the motto ‘E PLURIBUS UNUM’ in its beak. ‘UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’ and ‘1 OZ FINE SILVER~ ONE DOLLAR’ are inscribed on this side along with John Mercanti’s initials.

Collectors around the world have been eagerly anticipating the debut of a brand-new reverse design for the American Silver Eagle series. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2021, the series has featured the iconic heraldic eagle reverse design created by John Mercanti, the 12th former Chief Engraver of the United States Mint since it was first issued in1986. The new reverse design was created by Emily Damstra, but who is she and why was her design chosen? Learn more below!

The new Silver Eagle reverse design is the work of Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Emily Damstra and was sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Michael Gaudioso. It displays a full image of a Bald Eagle coming in for a landing with an oak branch held in its talons as if to add to its nest. As the second design for 2021, these Silver Eagles coins have been given a Type 2 pedigree to differentiate them from the Type 1 coins that bear the original Mercanti Heraldic Eagle reverse design. It also represents a monumental year for the Silver Eagle Series with both a first AND a last in the same year of the Mint’s most popular coin!