Eisenhower dollars feature an obverse (heads side) portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was a five-star World War II army general and served as the nation’s 34th president from 1953 through 1961. The reverse (tails side) depicts the mission insignia for Apollo 11, the NASA spacecraft that took the first men to the Moon in 1969. The Eisenhower dollar was a one-dollar coin issued by the United States Mint from 1971 to 1978; it was the first coin of that denomination issued by the Mint since the Peace dollar series ended in 1935. Today’s tip of the week touches on Eisenhower silver dollars and how to know if they contain silver content. Mints produced Eisenhower silver dollars, which were minted from 1971 – 1978, but only two mints produced these coins for general circulation. Eisenhower Dollar. After the last Peace Dollar was struck in 1935, it would be close to 40 years before the next one dollar coin would be issued by the United States Mint. Then, in 1971, the Eisenhower dollar was struck and issued between November 1st 1971 and 1978. Frank Gasparro, the Chief Engraver at the US Mint, was the designer of this dollar coin.
- 1976 Eisenhower Dollar
Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez
Coin Info
$8.61
![1971 1971](/uploads/1/3/6/0/136069845/956698255.jpg)
United States
Silver Coin
0.3161 t oz
$1 USD
15,000,000
U.S. Mint
1976
In 1975, the United States began minting Eisenhower dollars with the dual dates 1776-1976, which mark the occasion of the United States bicentennial. The 200th birthday of our nation’s founding sparked gala ceremonies all around the United States on July 4, 1976, and the lead-up to the special birthday prompted the United States to memorialize the event on the dollar coin, which bore a special design featuring the moon superimposed by the Liberty Bell.
There were two styles of the bicentennial dollar reverse; these are called Type I and Type II dollars. Type I dollars exhibit thick, sans-serif lettering, while the Type II pieces show more refined, serif-style letters. The copper-nickel clad dollar coins feature both styles, but the 40 percent 1976 dollars were minted and released only with the Type I design, which was struck in 1975.
Eisenhower Dollar 1972
11,000,000 uncirculated 1976-S 40 percent silver dollars were minted while 4,000,000 proof versions of the 1776-1976 S silver dollar were produced. In general, when silver content is worth around $20 per ounce, uncirculated 40 percent silver bicentennial dollars cost around $14 and proofs carry a $20 price tag.
While you can buy silver bicentennial dollars individually, they are available in special, 3-piece uncirculated and proof sets that were assembled by the United States Mint. These sets include the 1776-1976 quarter and half dollar, which also display special bicentennial-themed designs.
Other Years From This Coin Series
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I have a good 1976 Eisenhower Dollar ? maybe whose interesting.
Andrii AndriiukThis comment was minimized by the moderator on the site
I wad told someone Gold spray painted my centennial Eisenhower dollar because the gold rubbed off on the edge
Bradley WelshThis comment was minimized by the moderator on the site
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I have 1 dollar coin, 1976 ,
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As coin dealers, we come across many different types of coins, but one of the most prevalent U.S. coins that we see are Eisenhower silver dollars. As the name implies, these coins contain silver content, but that’s not always the case.
Today’s tip of the week touches on Eisenhower silver dollars and how to know if they contain silver content. Three U.S. Mints produced Eisenhower silver dollars, which were minted from 1971 – 1978, but only two mints produced these coins for general circulation.
The Philadelphia and Denver mints produced Eisenhower silver dollars for general circulation. These coins are clad, which are a combination of nickel and copper, and don’t contain any value above and beyond the face value of the coins. However, the San Francisco Mint produced 40% silver Eisenhower dollars from 1971 – 1976 specifically for collectors.
The coins were only available through the San Francisco Mint through special order and were packaged in a blue envelope (uncirculated) a brown box (proof) or in a red envelope. Even though they were special order coins, some 40% Eisenhower silver dollars still made their way into circulation.
Eisenhower Dollar
Besides checking for an “S” mintmark on the obverse or front of the coin, collectors can check the edge of the coin for a copper stripe. If a solid copper stripe exists, then one can assume that they have a clad Eisenhower silver dollar in their possession; however, if a solid silver stripe can be seen, then you likely have a 40% silver coin in your collection.
1776-1976 Eisenhower Dollar
We hope that the above information on how to know if your Eisenhower dollar contains silver was helpful, and we welcome you to contact Atlanta Gold & Coin Buyers if we can be of any assistance in identifying your Eisenhower silver dollars, or for that matter, any other type of coin. We look forward to hearing from you and earning your business!