1980-S

The 1980-S is the second and final San Francisco-mint Susan B. Anthony dollar struck for general circulation, with 20,422,000 pieces released through Federal Reserve channels. After 1980 the San Francisco Mint reverted to its post-1968 role of producing only proof coinage for the series, and no further S-mint Susan B. Anthony business strikes were issued in 1981 or during the 1999 revival. The mintage figure ranks below both Philadelphia and Denver for the year and was the final attempt to push S-mint dollars into commerce alongside the proof-only program that had been the West Coast facility's modern niche.

Strike characteristics on the 1980-S vary more than the same year's Denver and Philadelphia output. San Francisco was operating with proof-quality dies in parallel and the circulation work received less consistent die-pair attention; eagle feathers and Anthony's hair both show softness on a meaningful share of surviving examples. Most coins grade MS64 to MS66 from broken-bag releases and Mint Set distribution, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations thinning at MS67. The 1980-S circulation strike does not carry the Type 1 Filled S and Type 2 Clear S mintmark distinction that defines the year's proof work, since that distinction is a proof-only feature; circulation S coins use a single mintmark configuration across the run.

This is a regular common date whose only meaningful collecting hook is its status as one of only two San Francisco circulation strikes in the entire series. Raw examples trade slightly above face, and certified MS66 coins remain inexpensive enough that the date rarely anchors a date-set decision. The 1980-S also closes the original San Francisco circulation chapter, since 1981 went proof-only and the 1999 revival skipped S entirely. For the wider context of the design's circulation failure, see the Susan B. Anthony Dollar series history.