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About Eisenhower Silver Dollars

Originally released in 1971 to commemorate both the passing of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Eisenhower Silver Dollar was minted for seven years. It was replaced in 1979 by the Susan B. Anthony Silver Dollar. Both sides of the coin were designed by Frank Gasparro. During the majority of its circulation, the Eisenhower Silver Dollar was adopted by collectors but failed to obtain much interest from the public.

Identification
- The Eisenhower Silver Dollar has a reeded edge and a diameter of 38.1 millimeters. It weighs 22.68 grams. A special silver-clad version weighed slightly more at 24.59 grams.
Features
- This coin is the first United States dollar coin to not contain a precious metal. The Eisenhower Silver Dollar's composition is copper and nickel. The outer layer features 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel, while the interior is entirely copper.
Fun Fact
- Between 1975 and 1976, all Eisenhower Silver Dollars were minted for the bicentennial celebrations in the United States. These feature a reverse side that shows the Liberty Bell positioned in front of the moon.
Significance
- This was the last U.S. coin to be proportionally produced to smaller coins. It had exactly twice as much copper and nickel as the Kennedy half dollars, four times as much as the Washington quarter and ten times as much as the Roosevelt dime.
Considerations
- There were a variety of mints that struck the Eisenhower Silver Dollar. The identifying marks, known as mintmarks, are located above the third and fourth numbers in the date beneath the President's neck. These mints are Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco.

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