1972 Type 3

The 1972 Type 3 is the corrected late-year reverse variety and the design that carried the Eisenhower dollar through the balance of the run. Philadelphia's combined 1972 output across all three reverse types was 75,890,000 pieces; the Type 3 share is meaningful but smaller than the Type 1, since the corrected reverse only entered production after the Type 1 had already filled most of the year's order and the Type 2 had been caught and replaced. The Type 3 reverse Earth sits in full three-dimensional relief with sharp continental outlines, properly proportioned Caribbean islands, and a rounded globe that reads as a true sphere rather than a flat disc.

Strike quality on the 1972 Type 3 is the best of the three 1972 varieties, since the corrected reverse hub produced cleaner eagle detail and a more cleanly defined moon surface alongside the improved Earth. Most surviving examples grade MS64 to MS66 from broken bags and Mint Set releases. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations thin at MS67, where the heavy 22.68-gram planchet's tendency to acquire contact marks during shipment creates a real condition cap. The Type 3 became the standard reverse for all subsequent 1973 and 1974 Philadelphia production and remained in use through the 1977 and 1978 issues after the 1975-1976 Bicentennial interlude.

This is a regular common date and the middle-difficulty pickup of the three 1972 Philadelphia varieties. Pricing falls between the cheap Type 1 and the premium Type 2, reflecting both its scarcer share of production and its position as the design that resolved the year's hub problems. Original Mint Sets remain the most efficient route to high-grade examples, and certified examples in MS65 and MS66 are inexpensive enough that the date does not anchor any meaningful budget decision in a series build. For the design-change context and the broader run, see the Eisenhower Dollar series history.