2017 American Silver Eagle
Every version of the 2017 Silver Eagle with mintages, the silver it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 18,065,500
- Versions
- 4
- 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 2017 Silver Eagle worth?
The 2017 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. Its scarcer versions are different: the 2017-S proof (123,799) rates small premium.
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 2017 Silver Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($1) | 18,065,500 | Metal value |
| Proof | "S" | 1 oz ($1) | 123,799 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 176,739 | Small premium |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 440,596 | Small premium |
Four versions carry the 2017 date. As always, the bullion strike carries no mint letter and has a normal bright surface. There are two proofs, a W from West Point and an S from San Francisco. Both show the familiar mirror fields with frosted Liberty and eagle. Only the letter on the reverse beside the eagle's tail separates them, so read it under a magnifier. The W burnished coin has a soft satin finish with no mirror. An S proof found loose may have come out of a broken-up set, so check for that packaging.
Quick answers
- How much silver is in a 2017 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 2017 Silver Eagles were made?
- 18,065,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 741,134 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2017 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 2017
Bullion demand fell off a cliff in 2017. Sales dropped to 18,065,500 coins, less than half the 2016 total and the lowest since 2007. Silver prices were quiet, the sense of crisis that drove the earlier boom had passed and many investors already held as many coins as they wanted. Dealers had plenty of stock and the Mint no longer needed to ration coins. For bullion buyers, it was the start of an easy few years in which they could pick and choose.
Collectors had a more interesting year. West Point struck 440,596 regular proofs and 176,739 burnished coins, the burnished total down sharply on 2016. The real story was a third collector coin: a 2017-S proof from San Francisco, sold only in the Congratulations Set and the Limited Edition Silver Proof Set rather than on its own. Just 123,799 were made, by far the lowest figure of the year. If you inherited a 2017 proof, the mint mark is the first thing to check.
2017 Silver Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 18,065,500 one ounce bullion Silver Eagles dated 2017. That ranks 26th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2017 bullion sales were 2.1 times fewer than 2016 and 1.2 times the 2018 figure.
Collector versions dated 2017 add up to 741,134 coins across 3 versions. The scarcest is the 2017-S proof at 123,799; the most plentiful is the 2017-W proof at 440,596.
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.
The 2017-S proof is the coin that matters this year. With only 123,799 made, all in a set, it carries a collector premium, strongest in top grades and still inside its original set packaging. The 2017-W burnished, at 176,739, is a fairly low figure for a burnished coin and trades for a small premium. The W proof also trades for a small premium, while the bullion coin sits at metal value. Spots and hairlines pull any of them back toward their silver content.
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 the 2017-S proof Silver Eagle rare?
It's the scarcest 2017 Silver Eagle, with only 123,799 made, all sold in the Congratulations Set or the Limited Edition Silver Proof Set. That low figure gives it a collector premium. Look for the S beside the eagle's tail to confirm it.
Why did Silver Eagle sales drop in 2017?
Investor demand cooled after the record years. Many buyers already held plenty of coins and silver prices were quiet. Bullion sales fell to 18,065,500, less than half of 2016, though that's still a very common coin.
Mintages: American Silver Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.