2020 American Silver Eagle
Every version of the 2020 Silver Eagle with mintages, the silver it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2020
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 31,329,500
- Versions
- 5
- 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 2020 Silver Eagle worth?
The 2020 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 2020-W proof (V75 privy) (74,709) rates collector 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 2020 Silver Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($1) | 31,329,500 | Metal value |
| Proof | "S" | 1 oz ($1) | 266,537 | Small premium |
| Proof (V75 privy) | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 74,709 | Collector premium |
| Proof | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 414,182 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($1) | 154,861 | Small premium |
2020 has five versions. Bullion pieces carry no letter. There are three proofs: an S and two W coins. The two W proofs look the same except that one carries the small V75 privy mark, so check the design closely if you have a 2020-W proof. Look for the tiny V75 mark; if it's there, you have the scarce one. The S proof differs from the regular W only by its mint mark beside the eagle's tail. West Point's burnished coin has an even satin surface. Bullion came in tubes, collector coins in Mint packaging. A magnifier makes every one of these checks easier.
Quick answers
- How much silver is in a 2020 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 2020 Silver Eagles were made?
- 31,329,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 910,289 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2020 Silver Eagle worth more than its silver?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. The scarcer collector versions of 2020 are a different story; see the table above.
- 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 2020
The pandemic turned 2020 into a boom year. As uncertainty spread in the spring, buyers rushed into precious metals and bullion sales more than doubled to 31,329,500 coins. The surge came just as the Mint was dealing with pandemic restrictions on its own production, so supplies were tight and coin shops struggled to keep Silver Eagles in stock. It was the biggest bullion year since 2016. Plenty of people bought silver for the first time that year.
The year's collector highlight marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. West Point struck a proof with a small V75 privy mark, 74,709 of them. It sold out almost at once. Alongside it the Mint sold the regular W proof (414,182), an S proof (266,537) and a W burnished coin (154,861). Like the Pride of Two Nations coin the year before, the V75 showed how quickly collectors would snap up a low-mintage special issue. Regular proofs, by contrast, stayed easy to order.
2020 Silver Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 31,329,500 one ounce bullion Silver Eagles dated 2020. That ranks 32nd lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2020 bullion sales were 2.1 times the 2019 figure and 1.1 times the 2021 figure.
Collector versions dated 2020 add up to 910,289 coins across 4 versions. The scarcest is the 2020-W proof (V75 privy) at 74,709; the most plentiful is the 2020-W proof at 414,182.
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 2020-W V75 privy proof is the coin to look for and carries a collector premium, highest in top grades and with its original packaging and certificate. The S proof, the regular W proof and the W burnished coin each trade for a small premium. The 2020 bullion coin trades at metal value except in perfect grades. Be careful with V75 coins offered cheaply: fakes of popular modern issues exist, so a graded coin from a major service is the safer buy.
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
What is the 2020-W V75 Silver Eagle?
A West Point proof with a small V75 privy mark marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Only 74,709 were made and it sold out almost at once. Today it trades for a collector premium.
Why were so many 2020 Silver Eagles sold?
The pandemic drove a rush into precious metals. Bullion sales more than doubled to 31,329,500 coins. Supplies were tight for much of the year. That high total means 2020 bullion trades at metal value.
Mintages: American Silver Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.