1979-S Type 2 Proof

The 1979-S Type 2 is the scarce late-year proof variety, distinguished by a sharp, well-defined S mintmark that replaced the worn, blobby Filled S used across the earlier production. San Francisco's total 1979 dollar proof mintage was 3,677,175; the Type 2 accounts for only the small fraction of the year's output struck after the punch change, with the Type 2 share variously estimated at roughly 15 to 25 percent of the total. The same Filled S to Clear S transition surfaced across the 1979 proof program for cents through halves, but the Susan B. Anthony Type 2 is the most-collected of the family because the dollar carries the strongest visual differential, and because the dollar series itself has so few rare entries to anchor.

Authentication of a Type 2 claim turns on a single diagnostic. Sight the S at five to ten power magnification: a Type 2 S shows open, well-defined serifs at the top and bottom and a clearly resolvable interior space inside the curve, while the Type 1 Filled S reads as a partially clogged blob with no interior detail. Counterfeits are rare for this date because the differential is small enough that altering a Type 1 by retooling the mintmark is economically unattractive, but TPG-graded slabs from PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, or NGC are the safe path for any meaningful spend. Both grading services list the variety in their slabs. Cameo, the contrast between mirrored fields and frosted devices, is the standard finish for the issue, with Deep Cameo examples carrying the strongest premiums.

The 1979-S Type 2 is a popular series proof variety that trades at a multiple of the Type 1 across all Cameo and Deep Cameo grades, with the differential widening at PR69 Deep Cameo and especially at PR70 Deep Cameo. Pricing has held steady across the past two decades rather than tracking modern-coin speculation. For the launch-year context and the broader proof program history, see the Susan B. Anthony Dollar series history.