2009 American Silver Eagle
Every version of the 2009 Silver Eagle with mintages, the silver it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2009
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 30,459,000
- Versions
- 1
- Metal
- .999 fine silver
Original illustration of the coin's size and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because metal and coin prices change daily.
What is a 2009 Silver Eagle worth?
The 2009 bullion Silver Eagle is worth its silver content: weight times the day's spot price, plus a modest dealer premium when you buy and less when you sell.
Metal value = troy ounces of silver × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 2009 Silver Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($1) | 30,459,000 | Metal value |
Only one version exists: the 2009 bullion coin, with no mint mark and a normal mint finish. That makes identification simple. If you have a 2009 Silver Eagle with a W, an S or a P, or one sold as a proof in a case, it isn't a genuine Mint product. Bullion coins were shipped in tubes of 20 inside sealed boxes of 500; plenty of 2009 coins are still in those tubes. Some early strikes from fresh dies look especially bright, but they are still bullion coins. A genuine coin weighs 31.103 grams.
Quick answers
- How much silver is in a 2009 Silver Eagle?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure silver: one troy ounce in the $1 coin. The alloy is 99.9% silver.
- How many 2009 Silver Eagles were made?
- 30,459,000 one ounce bullion coins.
- Is the 2009 Silver Eagle worth more than its silver?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. Collector versions in their original packaging bring a small premium.
- Is the Silver Eagle legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($1), but nobody spends them: the silver is worth far more than the face value.
The Silver Eagle in 2009
2009 is the year without collector Silver Eagles. Bullion demand kept surging after the financial crisis and sales reached 30,459,000 coins, up roughly half on 2008. The Mint is required by law to produce bullion coins in quantities that meet public demand, so every available silver blank went to the bullion presses. Proof and burnished Silver Eagles dated 2009 were never made. It was the first break in the proof series since the program began in 1986.
Collectors were not happy. The proof had been issued every year since the start and the gap left a hole in date runs that can never be filled. Some people still search for a 2009 proof, assuming it must exist, but no genuine one does. Any coin offered as a 2009 proof or a 2009-W Silver Eagle should be treated as a fake. The year's only version is the bullion coin, sold through authorized purchasers as in every other year. For most owners, that makes a 2009 coin straightforward to identify.
2009 Silver Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 30,459,000 one ounce bullion Silver Eagles dated 2009. That ranks 31st lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2009 bullion sales were 1.5 times the 2008 figure and 1.1 times fewer than 2010.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Silver Eagle weighs 31.103 g and measures 40.6 mm. Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Silver is not magnetic, so a coin that sticks is not genuine. A coin that does not stick still needs the other checks.
- Look for the mint mark. Bullion strikes have none; proofs and burnished coins carry a small letter. A mirror field with frosted design means a proof, a soft satin look means burnished.
- Handle it by the edge and never clean it. Fingerprints, wiping and polishing leave marks that cost collector versions much of their premium.
- Keep the original capsule, box and certificate with collector versions. Coins that come with them are easier to sell and more likely to bring their full premium.
With over 30 million made, the 2009 bullion coin trades at metal value. Only perfect certified grades bring a small premium. Because there's no proof or burnished version, some collectors fill the 2009 hole in their proof runs with a high-grade bullion coin, which keeps a little demand alive for the best examples. Beyond that, treat a 2009 Silver Eagle as an ounce of silver in a familiar, easy to sell form. Keep it in its tube or a capsule to protect it.
Record demand and anniversary sets (2009 to 2020)
Bullion demand took over in 2009. The Mint is required by law to meet bullion demand first, so every silver blank went to bullion coins and no proofs or burnished coins were dated 2009. Sales climbed above 30 million a year and peaked at 47,000,000 in 2015, the record for the program. Those huge numbers mean bullion coins from this era trade at metal value except in perfect grades. Proofs returned in 2010 and burnished coins in 2011.
Collectors had the opposite experience: a run of limited sets. The 25th anniversary set of 2011 added a burnished coin from San Francisco and a reverse proof from Philadelphia. The 2012 San Francisco set and the 2013 West Point set marked those mints' 75th anniversaries. The 2019 Pride of Two Nations set with the Royal Canadian Mint brought an enhanced reverse proof, while 2019 also produced the 29,913 coin San Francisco enhanced reverse proof and 2020 the V75 privy proof. Most of these sold out quickly and demand for them has stayed strong.
Bullion sales cooled sharply after 2016, falling below 15 million by 2019, before the pandemic sent buyers rushing back in 2020 for a total of 31,329,500. Through all of it the regular W proofs and burnished coins stayed widely available. The special issues are where the premiums are concentrated in this stretch. If you find a set from these years, keep every coin in its original holder and keep the box and certificate with it, since buyers expect complete sets.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Silver Eagle |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | .999 fine silver |
| Alloy | 99.9% silver |
| Sizes | 1 oz ($1, 31.103 g, 40.6 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 31.103 g, 40.6 mm |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a 2009 proof Silver Eagle?
No. The Mint made no proof or burnished Silver Eagles dated 2009 because all its silver blanks went to bullion coins to meet demand. Any coin sold as a 2009 proof should be treated as a fake.
Is the 2009 Silver Eagle rare because there was no proof?
No. The bullion coin has a mintage of 30,459,000, so it's very common. The missing proof makes the year unusual, not the coin scarce. It trades at metal value except in perfect grades.
Mintages: American Silver Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.