2022 American Silver Eagle
Every version of the 2022 Silver Eagle with mintages, the silver it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2022
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 15,963,500
- 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 2022 Silver Eagle worth?
The 2022 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 2022-S proof (366,371) 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 2022 Silver Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($1) | 15,963,500 | Metal value |
| Proof | "S" | 1 oz ($1) | 366,371 | Small premium |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 691,443 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 199,533 | Small premium |
Four versions are dated 2022, all with the Type 2 landing eagle. The bullion version shows plain mint luster and has no letter at all. The S proof and the W proof have mirror fields and frosted devices and differ only by their mint mark. The W burnished coin has a soft satin finish with no mirror. Collector coins came from the Mint in capsules with packaging and a certificate, while bullion went to dealers in tubes. If your coin shows the old heraldic eagle and a 2022 date, look again: that combination doesn't exist.
Quick answers
- How much silver is in a 2022 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 2022 Silver Eagles were made?
- 15,963,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 1,257,347 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2022 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 2022
2022 was the first full year of the Type 2 eagle, so every version carries Emily Damstra's landing eagle design. Bullion sales were 15,963,500 coins, well down on the combined 2021 total of both types. Demand for silver had eased from the pandemic rush and supplies of blanks were improving, so buyers who had struggled to find coins in 2020 and 2021 could get them without much waiting. Coin shops finally had Type 2 coins in quantity. Shortages quickly became a memory.
Collectors came back in force. West Point struck 691,443 proofs, the highest W proof figure since 2015, while San Francisco made 366,371 S proofs, its best S proof total since San Francisco returned to proofs in 2012. The W burnished coin came in at 199,533. Part of the appeal was simply the new design: many collectors who had stopped buying every year returned to get a Type 2 proof. There were no special sets or reverse proofs in 2022, so the year has four versions.
2022 Silver Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 15,963,500 one ounce bullion Silver Eagles dated 2022. That ranks 25th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2022 bullion sales were 1.8 times fewer than 2021 and 1.6 times fewer than 2023.
Collector versions dated 2022 add up to 1,257,347 coins across 3 versions. The scarcest is the 2022-W uncirculated (burnished) at 199,533; the most plentiful is the 2022-W proof at 691,443.
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 2022 bullion coin trades at metal value, with a small premium only for perfect certified grades. The S proof, W proof and W burnished coin each trade for a small premium. None of them is scarce by Silver Eagle standards, so condition and packaging decide how much interest a coin attracts. The burnished coin, with the lowest mintage of the three, gets a little more attention. Milk spots can still appear on new coins, so store them in a cool, dry place. Never clean one.
The Type 2 eagle (2021 to 2024)
In 2021, the program's 35th anniversary year, the Mint retired John Mercanti's heraldic eagle after 35 years and introduced Emily Damstra's design of an eagle coming in to land with an oak branch. The switch happened partway through the year, so 2021 is the only date with both reverses: 13,306,000 Type 1 bullion coins and 14,968,500 Type 2, plus Type 1 and Type 2 versions of the collector coins. Collectors who want the full story of the change need several 2021 coins rather than one.
To mark the change the Mint issued a two-coin reverse proof set pairing the last Type 1 reverse proof, struck at West Point, with the first Type 2 reverse proof from San Francisco, 124,917 of each. From 2021 on the regular collector lineup settled into an S proof, a W proof and a W burnished coin each year, all with the new eagle. Type 1 collector coins dated 2021 are the last of a design used for 35 years.
Bullion sales stayed well above the late 2010s, at 15,963,500 in 2022 and over 20 million in both 2023 and 2024, when 500,000 bullion coins carried a star privy mark. Collector mintages have drifted lower, with the 2024 burnished coin at 113,130. Modern coins rarely become significant rarities, but low-mintage collector versions in their original packaging do hold a small premium well. For bullion buyers nothing has changed: the coin still holds one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and still trades on the day's silver price.
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
Are 2022 Silver Eagles Type 1 or Type 2?
All 2022 Silver Eagles are Type 2, with Emily Damstra's landing eagle on the reverse. The heraldic eagle Type 1 design ended in 2021, so any 2022 coin showing it should be treated as a fake.
How many 2022 proof Silver Eagles were made?
West Point struck 691,443 proofs and San Francisco 366,371. Both are common figures, so each trades for a small premium over metal value, more in its original packaging or in a top grade.
Mintages: American Silver Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.