[omahaorange]

Either strike is one ounce of silver. Even though the coin has a face value of $1.00, they are really worth the value of the silver content. This value fluctuates with the market, but they will always be worth the silver. The eagles, are in fact, legal tender, and should be accepted at face value for spending. Sounds stupid, but some (who obviously did not purchase them), in the past, have tried it. I pick one up every year, and have a set of these dating from the first issue in 1986, and did not buy one from the mint. I also bought one for each my children and my granddaughter, from the year each was born. I also have mint sets, and both clad and silver proof sets, from those years as well. These sets can be picked up at any reputable coin dealer, both on-line and B&M, relatively inexpensively. Makes a nice complete set of birth year coins as keepsakes.

The difference between proofs and regular strikes is in the collector value. Either will always be worth the silver in them, but when you pay a premium for the proof strike, the collector market influences the price more than the metal content, which my fluctuate wildly depending on those market conditions. So you may lose the premium you paid for the proof strike a few years down the road.