Susan B. Anthony Dollars 1979-1999

The Eisenhower dollar was too big to be handy, and by the late 1970s the Mint wanted a small dollar that could stand in for the paper bill. Planning began before the law did: a January 1978 memo told Philadelphia and Denver to order blanking dies, presses and other tooling. Public Law 95-447, approved October 10, 1978, set the new size and called for Susan B. Anthony on the obverse and the Apollo 11 eagle on the reverse. The National Archives notes that this was the first time a real woman, rather than an allegorical Liberty, appeared on a circulating U.S. coin.

Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro designed both sides. Philadelphia began striking 1979-dated coins on December 13, 1978, and the coin was released in July 1979 (search). It was the first dollar to carry a P mint mark. Officials thought the size gap was safe: the new dollar stood to the quarter roughly as the quarter stood to the nickel. They were wrong. Output in 1979 came to about 758 million coins from three mints. The public kept spending them as quarters and calling them "Carter quarters." The Treasury did not cut back $1 bills, and the vending trade dropped its plans to convert machines. The coins went back to the vaults.

Production was cut sharply in 1980, and in 1981 the coins were struck only for collector sets. Years later the stockpile finally ran low, drained by post office stamp machines, transit fare machines and parking meters. The United States $1 Coin Act of 1997 ordered a golden dollar with a distinctive edge, but it also let the Treasury keep making Anthony dollars if the supply ran out first. That is what happened. Philadelphia and Denver struck 1999-dated Anthony dollars, a final run before the Sacagawea dollar arrived in 2000.

Obverse. Anthony faces right inside an 11-sided inner border, with LIBERTY above, the date below and a small IN GOD WE TRUST beside her chin. Thirteen stars ring the border. Gasparro's FG is below the shoulder. The Archives says the 11 sides were meant to help visually impaired people recognize the coin.

Reverse. An eagle with an olive branch lands on the Moon, with the Earth above at left and 13 stars overhead. CoinWeek notes that it follows the Apollo 11 insignia drawn by astronaut Michael Collins, the same source as the Eisenhower dollar's reverse.

Mint mark. A small P, D or S on the obverse, just above Anthony's right shoulder. Philadelphia coins carry the P in every year.

Narrow Rim and Wide Rim (1979-P only). On the common Narrow Rim, or Far Date, there is a clear gap between the date and the rim. On the Wide Rim, or Near Date, the rim is broader and rounder and the date nearly touches it. CoinWeek says the wide rim arrived late in 1979 and stayed for the rest of the series, and Bowers finds every 1980-P with the date close to the rim.

Proof mint marks. The 1979-S and 1981-S proofs come in two styles. Type 1 has a worn, filled-in S; Type 2 has a clear S with open loops.

• 1979-P Wide Rim: PCGS lists it as FS-301 and estimates about 20,000 survive (search). The Mint reported one total of 360,222,000 for all 1979-P business strikes. Compare the Narrow Rim.
• 1979-S Type 2 proof: the clear S. Bowers estimates 15 to 20 percent of the 3,677,175 proofs, struck in November and December. Compare Type 1.
• 1981-S Type 2 proof: a new, very open S, unlike either 1979 style. Compare Type 1.
• 1981-P, 1981-D and 1981-S: 3,000,000, 3,250,000 and 3,492,000 struck for Mint sets, none released to circulation. CoinWeek reports that many 1981-S coins were nicked in transit to Denver for packaging, so few grade high.
• 1999-P and 1999-D: 29,592,000 and 11,776,000 struck for the revival.
• 1999-P proof: the only Anthony proof from Philadelphia, sold individually rather than in proof sets. About 750,000 were made.
• 1999 on a Sacagawea planchet: CoinWeek reports rare 1999 Anthony dollars from both Philadelphia and Denver struck on golden-dollar blanks, likely as the mints changed over to the new coin.

The coin is 26.5 mm across with a reeded edge. Taken as a whole, the metal works out to about 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel. The Susan B. Anthony dollar was never struck in silver, so it is a clad coin like the quarter. A copper stripe on the edge is normal.