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Eisenhower Dollars

Published March 9, 2026

Dollars

Coin Design History

Eisenhower Dollars (1971–1978)

Collectors Key Editorial  •  Dollar Series
Author NameChris D.Date PublishedMarch 9, 2026 DenominationDollar Years Issued1971–1978 DesignerFrank Gasparro (both sides); Bicentennial reverse by Dennis R. Williams (1776–1976) Clad CompositionOuter layers: 75% copper, 25% nickel; core: pure copper Silver CompositionOuter layers: 80% silver, 20% copper; core: 21% silver, 79% copper (net 40% silver) Clad Weight22.68 grams Silver Weight24.59 grams (0.3161 troy oz pure silver) Diameter38.1 mm EdgeReeded MintsPhiladelphia (no mark), Denver (D), San Francisco (S)

Two Deaths and One Moon Landing Produced the Political Momentum for a New Dollar

Dollar coin production had been suspended since 1935. It resumed in 1971 because two events in 1969 converged in Congress: the death of President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 28, 1969, which prompted proposals to honor him on a coin, and the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969, which provided a second theme to attach to any new dollar. Congress's specification that the coin commemorate both events had specific reasoning: the space program had been initiated under Eisenhower's administration, making the two commemorative elements logically connected rather than arbitrary. Representative Robert R. Casey of Texas introduced the bill linking them, and legislation passed in 1970. The authorizing act was signed by President Nixon on December 31, 1970, reportedly minutes before midnight to avoid a pocket veto as Congress adjourned. Nixon had served as Eisenhower's Vice President.1

Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro designed both sides of the coin in approximately six weeks beginning in mid-November 1970. For the obverse he was instructed to follow the basic layout of the Washington quarter, with the word placement and arrangement adapted accordingly; the resulting left-facing portrait of Eisenhower carries Gasparro's initials FG at the base of the bust truncation. Gasparro consulted with Mamie Eisenhower on the designs, and she was presented with a metallic galvano model on January 1, 1971. For the reverse Gasparro adapted the official Apollo 11 mission patch designed by astronaut Michael Collins: a bald eagle descending toward the lunar surface carrying an olive branch, with the Earth visible above and thirteen stars ringing the upper portion of the field. LIBERTY arcs above the obverse portrait, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date appear below; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DOLLAR surround the reverse.2

Clad Dollars for Circulation, Silver Dollars for Collectors, and Profits to Eisenhower College

The authorizing legislation created a dual-track production structure. Copper-nickel clad coins (outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a core of pure copper) were struck for circulation at Philadelphia and Denver. A 40% silver version, identical in size and design but heavier and with a different edge appearance, was struck for collectors exclusively at San Francisco and sold at a premium over face value. The silver issues came in two presentations: uncirculated coins in blue envelopes ("Blue Ikes") and Proof coins in brown boxes ("Brown Ikes"). A provision of the legislation directed the profits from the silver collector editions to Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, New York; the college ultimately received approximately $9 million before closing in 1983. The 40% silver dates run from 1971-S through 1974-S and the Bicentennial 1776-1976-S; all coins dated 1977 and 1978 are clad regardless of mintmark or finish.3

Despite being struck in quantities exceeding 100 million coins in some years, the Eisenhower dollar almost never circulated. The coin was too large and heavy for most everyday transactions, vending machines were not configured for it, and the public declined to use it. A 1976 Treasury study found a near-100% attrition rate: nearly every Eisenhower dollar removed from a bank was extracted from commerce after a single transaction rather than continuing to circulate. The coins did see genuine use in Nevada casinos, where they replaced privately issued casino tokens in slot machines and served as standard dollar chips. The casinos' demand for the large coin was the series' primary practical application through its entire eight-year run.4

The 1972 Type 2 Is the Series Key and Exists Because of a Die Accident

Philadelphia produced three distinct reverse varieties of the 1972 Eisenhower dollar, distinguishable primarily by the treatment of Earth as depicted on the Apollo 11 reverse. The Type 1 is the most common. The Type 3 became the standard design from 1973 onward. The Type 2 is the series key. It was struck inadvertently from a reverse die intended for Proof production, which carried higher relief than the circulation-issue dies. The Proof die was placed into production service alongside regular circulation dies for a brief period in 1972 before being identified and withdrawn. Contemporary research suggests that approximately 100,000 coins were produced from the single Type 2 die, of which perhaps 40,000 survive in condition attributable to the variety with certainty. In the Type 2 the Florida peninsula appears elongated and funnel-like, and the Caribbean islands below Florida are barely visible, fading into the ocean field rather than appearing as distinct landforms. In Gem (Mint State 65 or finer) condition the Type 2 is genuinely scarce; at Mint State 66 it commands five-figure prices. Heritage Auctions, August 22, 2022, lot 4751, NGC Mint State 66, realized $14,400 for the variety.5

The Bicentennial Reverse Came From a Public Design Competition Won by a 22-Year-Old

Legislation signed in October 1973 authorized special reverse designs for the quarter, half dollar, and dollar to mark the bicentennial of independence, with all coins struck from July 4, 1975 through December 31, 1976 to carry a dual date of 1776-1976. There are no Eisenhower dollars dated simply 1975; all coins struck in that year bear the dual date. The reverses for all three denominations were determined by a public design competition that closed in January 1974. The dollar reverse was won by Dennis R. Williams, a 22-year-old art student, whose design depicts the Liberty Bell superimposed over the moon, connecting the independence symbolism to the space achievement that had inspired the original coin. Williams's initials appear below the bell. The Bicentennial issue came in two reverse types: Type 1 with thicker lettering and Type 2 with thinner, sharper lettering. Both types were produced in clad at Philadelphia and Denver and in 40% silver at San Francisco; combined clad production across both types and mints exceeded 200 million coins.6

The Eisenhower dollar is the last large-size dollar coin struck for regular commerce in the republic's history, and its failure to circulate was not primarily political in the way the Morgan dollar's non-circulation was. The Morgan dollar didn't circulate because the Bland-Allison Act produced more coins than the market could absorb. The Eisenhower dollar didn't circulate because the coin was physically too large for the commerce of its era. No legislation could resolve that, and the series' eight-year run ended because the Treasury recognized the problem and proposed a smaller coin rather than continuing production at scale for a denomination that went directly from the mint to Nevada casino floors.

Building the Set

A type set of the Eisenhower dollar can be assembled with two coins: one clad issue representing the regular series and one 40% silver issue representing the collector strikes, with a third coin for the Bicentennial reverse if the collector prefers visual completeness over strict type minimalism. A complete set recognizing all major date-and-mint combinations, silver and clad, Type 1 and Type 2 Bicentennial reverses, runs to approximately 32 entries by standard references. The 1972 Type 2 is the key to any complete set of business strikes and the series entry that requires the most patience in high grades. The 1971 and 1972 clad business strikes (both Philadelphia and Denver) are more difficult in Mint State than later issues because they were not included in the Mint's annual Mint Sets; they appear in the market primarily as barely circulated coins from rolls or as uncertified finds, making high-grade survivors genuinely scarce. The primary specialist reference is Bowers, Q. David, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins (Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2016).7

Notes

  1. The suspension of dollar coinage since 1935; Eisenhower's death on March 28, 1969; Apollo 11 in July 1969; Congress's specification that the space program had originated under Eisenhower; Representative Casey's bill linking both themes; the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 (signed December 31, 1970) as the legislative vehicle, with the Eisenhower dollar provisions carried as Title Two of a bank holding company bill; Nixon's prior service as Eisenhower's Vice President; and the circumstances of the late signing to avoid a pocket veto are from Bowers, Q. David, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins (Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2016), pp. 1–40.
  2. Gasparro's six-week design period beginning mid-November 1970; the Washington quarter layout instruction for the obverse; Gasparro's FG initials at the bust truncation; the Mamie Eisenhower consultation and galvano presentation on January 1, 1971; the Apollo 11 mission patch by astronaut Michael Collins as the reverse source; the eagle descending toward the lunar surface with olive branch and Earth visible above; thirteen stars in the upper field; the obverse and reverse legend descriptions are from Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, pp. 40–80.
  3. The clad composition (outer layers 75% copper, 25% nickel; core pure copper) at Philadelphia and Denver for circulation; the 40% silver composition (outer 80% silver, 20% copper; core 21% silver, 79% copper; net 40% silver) at San Francisco for collectors; the Blue Ike (uncirculated, blue envelope) and Brown Ike (Proof, brown box) designations; the legislative provision directing silver profits to Eisenhower College; the approximately $9 million received before the college closed in 1983; and the silver dates running 1971-S through 1974-S and 1776-1976-S with no silver in 1977-1978 are from Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, pp. 80–130.
  4. The circulation failure; the 1976 Treasury study finding a near-100% attrition rate; the Nevada casino use as the series' primary practical application are from Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, pp. 100–140.
  5. The three 1972 reverse varieties at Philadelphia; the Type 1 as most common; the Type 3 as the standard from 1973; the Type 2 struck inadvertently from a Proof reverse die; the estimate of approximately 100,000 Type 2 coins produced from a single die with approximately 40,000 surviving in attributable condition; the Type 2 identification (elongated funnel-like Florida peninsula, Caribbean islands barely visible); the five-figure price level in Mint State 66 are from Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, pp. 145–175. Auction record: Heritage Auctions, August 22, 2022, lot 4751, 1972 Eisenhower Dollar Type 2, NGC Mint State 66, $14,400.
  6. The October 1973 legislation authorizing Bicentennial reverses for the quarter, half dollar, and dollar; the dual date 1776-1976 on all coins struck from July 4, 1975 through December 31, 1976; the absence of 1975-dated Eisenhower dollars; the public design competition closing January 1974; Dennis R. Williams at age 22 as the dollar reverse winner; the Liberty Bell superimposed over the moon on the Williams reverse; his initials below the bell; the Type 1 (thicker lettering) and Type 2 (thinner lettering) Bicentennial reverses; combined clad production exceeding 200 million coins are from Bowers, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins, pp. 200–260.
  7. The two-coin type set; the approximately 32-entry complete set; the 1972 Type 2 as the key; the difficulty of the 1971 and 1972 clad business strikes in Mint State due to their absence from Mint Sets; and the primary reference are from Bowers, Q. David, A Guide Book of Modern United States Dollar Coins (Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2016).

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