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1981-S
| Weight | 8.1 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Mint | San Francisco |
| Strike | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,492,000 |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Alignment | ↑↓ Coin |
| Composition | Copper-Nickel Clad (75% Cu, 25% Ni bonded to pure Cu core) |
| Melt value | — |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
| Collector's Key ID | CK-4855 |
Collection
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No additional varieties recorded for this strike.
External references
The 1981-S is the third and final San Francisco circulation strike of the Susan B. Anthony series, with 3,492,000 pieces produced exclusively for the U.S. Mint's Uncirculated Mint Set program. Like the matched 1981-P and 1981-D issues, no 1981 dollar entered general circulation. The mintage edges slightly above the matched 3 million Philadelphia and Denver figures, but all three issues sit at the series low. After 1981 the San Francisco Mint reverted to proof-only Susan B. Anthony work, and the 1999 revival skipped S entirely. The 1981-S therefore closes both a year and an entire circulation chapter.
Strike quality on the 1981-S benefits from Mint Set distribution: planchets and dies received the same careful pairing that supplied the matched Philadelphia and Denver work for the year. Most surviving examples show sharp eagle and lunar detail and a clean eleven-sided inner border, with high-point softness on Anthony's hair limited to the latest die states. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations cluster at MS65 and MS66 with MS67 readily available, since every coin was preserved in collector packaging from delivery. The Type 1 Round S and Type 2 Flat S mintmark distinction that separates the year's proof issues does not carry over to the circulation strike, where a single mintmark configuration was used across the run; that distinction is a proof-only phenomenon.
This issue completes the matched 1981 trio that anchors the date set's scarcest year. The 1981-S trades at a small premium over the equivalent 1979 and 1980 S-mint coins but below the 1981-P and 1981-D, since the slightly higher mintage shows up directly in pricing. Mint Set break-outs remain the standard source. For the broader policy story behind the 1981 production halt and the eighteen-year wait for the 1999 revival, see the Susan B. Anthony Dollar series history.
Reference data only — not an appraisal.
| Grade | Description | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-4 | Good (G) | $1 | $1 |
| VG-8 | Very Good (VG) | $1 | $1 |
| F-12 | Fine (F) | $1 | $1 |
| VF-20 | Very Fine (VF) | $1 | $1 |
| EF-40 | Extremely Fine (EF) | $1 | $1 |
| AU-50 | About Uncirculated (AU) | $1 | $1 |
| MS-60 | Uncirculated (MS) | — | — |
| MS-63 | Choice Uncirculated (MS) | $22 | $24 |
How much is a 1981-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar worth?
How many 1981-S Susan B. Anthony Dollars were minted?
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What is the melt value of a 1981-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar?
Is the 1981-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar a key date?
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