Variety Discovered for 2008-W Burnished Silver Eagle

There has been a new variety discovered for the 2008-W Burnished Silver Eagle Coin. A number of coins were struck using the reverse dies of 2007. The variety has created a great amount of excitement with coin collectors.

Currently, the variety has only been discovered on the 2008-W Burnished Silver Eagles. This is the collectible version of the coin offered by the US Mint. It is differentiated by the appearance of the "W" mint mark, which stands for "West Point." The coins are referred to as "burnished" since they are struck on specially burnished blanks.

Collectors are still investigating other 2008 dated Silver Eagles to check if the variety has occurred anywhere else. They have been checking the regular bullion version of the coin, as well as the proof version of the coin. No varieties have been discovered on any of these coins to date.

The Reverse of 2007 variety is most easily distinguished by the appearance of the "U" in "United." On coins bearing the 2007 reverse, the "U" is bowl shaped. On coins bearing the 2008 reverse, the "U" has an additional spur on the right side of the letter. There are other noticeable differences including the configuration of the stars and the spacing and lettering between "Silver" and "One."

Because the American Silver Eagle series is so highly collected, the price for the variety has quickly escalated. At auction, prices are now commonly exceeding $500. The enthusiasm may prove to be premature, as no one knows the actual scarcity of the coin yet. The variety was first discovered by John Nanney of Leesburg, Virginia and reported in Coin World.

Michael Zielinski is an internet entrepreneur and coin collector. Find more information on the 2008-W Silver Eagle Reverse of 2007.