1986 S Eagle S$1 PF69 Ultra Cameo Signed John Mercanti
The year 1986 will be remembered in the history of the United States Mint as the year the American Eagle program was launched. In 1986, the US Mint introduced the American Gold Eagle and American Silver Eagle as the nations official bullion coins. In this first production year, the Silver Eagle enjoyed immense popularity that would lead to high demand the following year, as well. Right now the 1986 American Silver Eagle coin is available for purchase from Champion Numismatics
- 1ST EVER AMERICAN SILVER EAGLE COIN FROM THE UNITED STATES MINT!
- Contains 1 oz of .999 pure silver.
- Bears a face value of $1 (USD) backed by the federal government.
- Features Walking Liberty on the obverse.
- Includes the heraldic eagle of the US on the reverse.
- S mint marks on the proof specimens from the San Francisco Mint.
For the first release of the American Silver Eagle coin, the United States Mint turned to the San Francisco Mint to produce both the bullion and proof versions of the coin. These original 1986 American Silver Eagle coins were struck at the San Francisco Mint, both versions, and would continue as such until 1993 when proof coins shifted to the Philadelphia Mint and the bullion coins followed in 1999.
On the obverse is Adolph A. Weinmans Walking Liberty design from 1916, which is accompanied on the reverse by the heraldic eagle of the United States from then-Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John Mercanti.
John M. Mercanti (born April 27, 1943) is an American sculptor and engraver. He was the twelfth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint until his retirement in late 2010.
Biography
Mercanti was born in Philadelphia. There, he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia College of Art and the Fleisher Art Memorial School. He also served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for six years.
In 1974, Mercanti joined the United States Mint as a sculptor-engraver after working as an illustrator. On May 19, 2006, he was appointed Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint (also known as Supervisor of Design and Master Tooling Development Specialist). The position had been officially vacant for 15 years following the retirement of Elizabeth Jones, the Mint's eleventh Chief Engraver, in 1991.
In June 2011, Mercanti became a paid spokesperson for Goldline International and appeared in a television commercial for the company.
In 2021, Mercanti was named one of Coin World's Most Influential People in Numismatics (1960-2020)