United States · United States Mint

1 dollar coin, 1988

1 dollar · American Silver Eagle · 1988

1988 American Silver Eagle bullion dollar, with no mint mark. The type is .999 silver; this example was not weighed. No serial and unslabbed.

Catalog facts

Year: 1988
Mint: No mint mark; this example is not assigned to San Francisco or to West Point
Denomination: 1 dollar (American Silver Eagle)
Composition: Silver .999 (published fineness of the type; this specimen was not assayed)
Weight: 31.103 g, one troy ounce (type weight; this specimen was not weighed)
Diameter: 40.6 mm (type measurement; this specimen was not measured)
Edge: Reeded (published type; no edge photograph)
Condition: Unslabbed. The date reads 1988, with softened relief, scratches, dark streaks, and uneven color. Not a numerical grade.
References: KM# 273 · PCGS# 9816 · Schön# 216 · N# 1493

Obverse, 1 dollar 1988 — Obverse: Weinman’s Walking Liberty; LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST; weak date 1988.

Obverse: Weinman’s Walking Liberty; LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST; weak date 1988.

Reverse, 1 dollar 1988 — Reverse: Mercanti’s heraldic eagle; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; 1 OZ. FINE SILVER~ONE DOLLAR.

Reverse: Mercanti’s heraldic eagle; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; 1 OZ. FINE SILVER~ONE DOLLAR.

The coin

This piece is a 1988 American Silver Eagle dollar, a bullion strike, with no mint mark visible. The obverse is Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty: Liberty strides toward the sun, wrapped in the flag, with branches in her arm. LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST are readable. The date, at the bottom, reads 1988 and is weak. The reverse is John Mercanti’s heraldic eagle, with a shield, the banner E PLURIBUS UNUM, and thirteen stars. The arc reads UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the exergue 1 OZ. FINE SILVER~ONE DOLLAR. The type carries Weinman’s monogram and the initials JM; the wear in these photographs does not establish that they can be read. There is no mint letter. The 1988 proof carries an S and is a different issue: Numista gives it 557,370 pieces. 31 U.S.C. § 5112(e) sets 40.6 mm, 31.103 g, .999 silver, and a reeded edge. PCGS 9816 prints 31.10 g and a metal line of 99.93% silver and 0.007% copper. This disc was not weighed or assayed, and the edge is not photographed. The piece is raw, with no holder. The Morgan dollar in this case is circulating .900 silver; it is not this one-ounce module.

Legends

Obverse: LIBERTY · IN GOD WE TRUST · 1988 at the bottom, weak. No mint mark.
Reverse: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA · E PLURIBUS UNUM · 1 OZ. FINE SILVER~ONE DOLLAR. Heraldic eagle with shield and thirteen stars. No mint letter.

History

The Liberty Coin Act, Public Law 99-61 of 9 July 1985, authorized the silver bullion dollar. PCGS places the first striking on 24 November 1986. 1988 is the third year. The Mint describes the obverse as Weinman’s Walking Liberty, the half dollar of 1916 to 1947, and Mercanti’s heraldic reverse as the one used from 1986 through 2021. Emily Damstra’s landing eagle is the reverse after that 2021 change. Bullion carries no mint mark. On 16 October 2020 Coin World published the table the Mint released under FOIA: for 1988, 755,000 at West Point and 4,249,646 at San Francisco, 5,004,646 in all, with no Philadelphia quantity in that row. PCGS 9816 gives the same combined mintage and enters the mint as Philadelphia. That field does not attribute this disc. Numista N# 1493 (KM# 273) splits 1988 the same way, with no mint mark. PCGS’s survival estimate for all grades is 4,900,000, rarity R-1.0: an expert opinion, not a census and not a count of certified coins. Jaime Hernandez, on that page, calls the date common overall and scarce in MS70. This page does not republish a certification population or a price. No provenance.

Scarcity and type

PCGS 9816 publishes 5,004,646 pieces for the 1988 business strike. The Mint table Coin World printed on 16 October 2020 splits that total into 4,249,646 from San Francisco and 755,000 from West Point, with no mark on the planchet and no Philadelphia quantity. The proof with an S is a different issue. PCGS estimates 4,900,000 survivors in all grades (R-1.0): that is not a census. No slab population and no price are republished.

Certification

No holder and no certification number. The photographs show wear, scratches, dark streaks, and uneven color; they fix neither a grade nor the weight or fineness. Type attribution is not a certificate of authenticity. No serial. If it is later slabbed, the cert number will replace this note.

Sources

31 U.S.C. § 5112(e)–(f) — silver bullion dollar (opens in a new tab)
40.6 mm; 31.103 g; .999 silver; reeded edge; Liberty and an eagle. Sale is at bullion value plus costs. No price is republished.
United States Mint — American Eagle silver bullion (opens in a new tab)
One troy ounce (31.103 g), 99.9% silver, 40.60 mm, reeded edge, no mint mark. Weinman obverse. Mercanti’s heraldic reverse from 1986 through 2021.
PCGS CoinFacts — 1988 American Silver Eagle, 9816 (opens in a new tab)
Mintage 5,004,646. Diameter 40.60 mm. Printed weight 31.10 g. Printed metal 99.93% silver and 0.007% copper. Mint entered as Philadelphia. Estimated survival 4,900,000 (R-1.0). Prices and a certification population are not republished.
PCGS CoinFacts — 1986 American Silver Eagle, 9801 (opens in a new tab)
Public Law 99-61, 9 July 1985, and the first striking on 24 November 1986. Not this piece. Prices are not republished.
Coin World — Paul Gilkes, FOIA table (16 Oct. 2020) (opens in a new tab)
1988: West Point 755,000 and San Francisco 4,249,646; total 5,004,646. No Philadelphia quantity in that row. Prices are not republished.
Numista — N# 1493, American Silver Eagle, KM# 273 (opens in a new tab)
Type of 1986–2021. Weight 31.103 g; diameter 40.6 mm; .999 silver. 1988 with no mint mark: 4,249,646 at San Francisco and 755,000 at West Point. The 1988-S proof is listed at 557,370. Prices are not republished.