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How to Collect Eisenhower Dollar Coins

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 to 1969) was a five-star General of the Army and the 34th President of the United States. He was well-known for "standing up" to the Soviet Union, supporting the space program, enhancing the Social Security program and creating the Interstate Highway System.
The Eisenhower Dollar Coin (1971 to 1978) was intended to honor this great American. The design was the work of the U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro and a number of variety and composition coins were minted. However, this coin never achieved any great degree of popularity and was discontinued after a short run of eight years. The public was not ready for large-sized dollar coins, however, some of the Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos did use these coins in their dollar slot machines. This is a relatively easy set to assemble and a nice starter set for the young or novice collector. Here are tips for collecting "Ike" dollars.

Things You'll Need

An average magnifier
A good light source
A basic album designed for this coin
A current copy of the "Red Book" of U.S. Coins

Instructions

- 1
  VARIETIES AND MINTS
  
  There are low relief (Variety I) issues which were produced in 1971 and 1972. A somewhat higher relief (Variety II) was used for the 1971 (S) Proof issue, silver clad issues of 1972 and a few of the Philadelphia issues of 1972. A final modification and even higher relief (Variety 3) was used for all issues starting in 1973. More than 600 million of these coins (of all types) were minted.
- 2
  RARE IKE DOLLARS
  
  The word "rare" might be a stretch here! However, there are a few issues which are more difficult to obtain. The 1972 P copper-nickel clad issue (Variety 2) is a premium coin. The 1973 S (Proof) 40% silver clad and 1974 S (Proof) silver clad coins each had a mintage of less than two million. A few of the Bicentennial issues had limited mintage as well.
- 3
  BICENTENNIAL COINAGE DATES (1776 to 1976)
  
  The 1976 American Bicentennial Celebration was a smashing success! The quarter, half dollars and dollar coin designs were modified to mark this special occasion. The obverse of the Ike dollars remained unchanged, save for the dual date "1776 to 1976." The reverse side of the coin featured the Liberty Bell superimposed over a picture of the moon. It was the design of Dennis R. Williams. There were many varieties and metal combinations of the Bicentennial coin issued. The silver clad issues are very tough to acquire in Proof 65 or higher.
- 4
  1977 and 1978 ISSUES
  
  The waning acceptance of this coin resulted in the discontinuation of the series after 1978. Only copper- nickel clad coins were issued by all three mints for the last two years. Quantities of these coins are still plentiful, including Proofs. The "Ike" Dollar set is very attractive in higher grades and does increase in value, albeit marginally. Interestingly enough, the U.S. Mint could not resist the allure of dollar coins and plunged headfirst into the Susan B. Anthony series starting in 1979. Suffice to say, the SBA coin lasted only three consecutive years with a one-year comeback in 1999.

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