Coin Specifications

The Susan B. Anthony Dollar was envisioned as a solution to problems of the bulky Eisenhower Dollar. The coin was sized between the diameter of the half dollar and quarter dollar, with the intention of making it easier to handle in circulation. The design was differentiated by the use of a woman on the obverse of the coin and an eleven sided rim, which could be felt by touch to identify the coin. Unfortunately the public missed these finer points and often confused the dollar coin with the quarter. The coins became unpopular and never circulated widely.

Minted at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, was produced in large numbers leading up to the circulation launch of the coins. After the negative public response, fewer coins were minted in the second year, and finally production was restricted to collector coins. The series was revived for one year in 1999.

Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars anthony

The Eisenhower Dollar was introduced in 1971 as the first large size dollar coin issued for circulation since 1935. The coins struck for circulation contained no silver content, but were struck in a composition of copper and nickel, specifically an outer layer of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded core of pure copper. The obverse design of the coin featured President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the reverse is in commemoration of the moon landing. The coins were only produced from 1971 to 1979 before being replaced by a smaller sized dollar coin. Circulating coins were produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.

Clad Eisenhower Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars eisenhower

Authorized under the Coinage Act of 1792, the first silver dollar coins in America were produced with the minting of the Flowing Hair Dollar. This historically unique series had some interesting and variable aspects related to its specifications. The composition was 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper as specified by the Act. This differs from the later adopted “coin silver” composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. The coins had a diameter which ranged from 39 to 40 mm. Blanks used to strike the coins were hand weighed. Some blanks which were underweight or overweight were manually adjusted by filing excess silver or inserting a silver plug. Finally, instead of a reeded edge, the Flowing Hair Dollar had a lettered edge consisting of the coin’s denomination.

Flowing Hair Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars flowing hair

The Sacagawea Dollar was introduced in 2000 with much publicity. The United States Mint was making an ambitious attempt to create a dollar coin which would gain popularity as a circulating coin. The coins ultimately did not circulate widely and the series was relaunched as the Native American Dollar series in 2009. The obverse design of the coin features the Shoshone born Native American Sacagawea who accompanied Lewis & Clark on their expedition. The reverse features an eagle in flight. Glenna Goodacre designed the obverse and Thomas D. Rogers Sr. designed the reverse. Coins have been minted at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints with proof coins minted at San Francisco.

Sacagawea Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars sacagawea

The United States Mint began issuing modern commemorative coins in 1982 after a long hiatus. One of the popular denominations for commemorative coins is the silver dollar size. The first modern silver dollar commemorative featured the Los Angeles Olympiad in 1983.  In recent years, there have generally been one or two commemorative coins issued as silver dollars for each year. In 2006, this included coins for Benjamin Franklin and the Old San Francisco Mint. In 2007, there were coins for Jamestown and Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2008, the Bald Eagle was featured on a commemorative silver dollar. The varied nature of the designs make these an interesting assemblage.

Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars commemorative