1999 Susan B. Anthony Dollar

The 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar was an unexpected one-year return of a design last struck in 1981, produced to bridge a growing shortage of dollar coins used in vending machines, transit fare systems, and postal kiosks while the Mint prepared to launch the new golden Sacagawea dollar in 2000. Because it followed an 18-year gap in production, the 1999 issue holds a distinct place in the series as its final year.

Collectors value the 1999 issue both as the closing chapter of the Anthony dollar series and for its relatively lower mintage numbers compared to the heavily produced 1979 debut year, along with its notable proof coin from the West Point Mint.

After the Susan B. Anthony dollar's disappointing public reception led to production being paused after 1981, the coin quietly continued to serve a niche role in vending machines, transit systems, and the U.S. Postal Service's stamp machines throughout the 1980s and 1990s. By the late 1990s, existing dollar coin inventories were running low, and the new Sacagawea dollar was not yet ready for release, creating an unexpected need for additional dollar coin production.

To fill this gap, the Mint struck new Susan B. Anthony dollars dated 1999, giving the design an unplanned final year in production nearly two decades after its last previous strike. This also allowed a smoother transition for businesses and government agencies that relied on the coin's specific size and electromagnetic signature for coin-operated machines, before the visually distinct Sacagawea dollar debuted in 2000.

The 1999 issue included Philadelphia and Denver business strikes as well as a proof version struck at West Point, marking one of the few times the Anthony dollar was associated with a mint other than Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco.

The design is identical to the original 1979-1981 issues: Susan B. Anthony's portrait on the obverse with LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date, and the Apollo 11 eagle-on-the-moon reverse with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The only way to distinguish a 1999 coin from other years is by reading the date itself, since no design elements changed for the revival year.

As with earlier Anthony dollars, the coin is 26.5mm in diameter, struck in copper-nickel clad, with a reeded edge and an eleven-sided inner border design surrounding the portrait and date. Mintmarks appear on the obverse below Anthony's shoulder: "P" for Philadelphia, "D" for Denver, or no visible mark distinction issue for the West Point proof coins, which instead show a "P" as well in this particular year's proof issue.

Collectors should simply check the date to confirm a 1999 example, since aside from the date, the coin is visually consistent with the original 1979-1981 Anthony dollars.

1999 Susan B. Anthony dollars are collectible but not particularly rare, since a solid number were struck to meet the era's demand for dollar coins in circulation. Most circulated and uncirculated business-strike examples trade for modest premiums over face value, while the West Point proof version, especially in high-grade cameo condition, can bring somewhat more.

Because the coin was produced for a practical, short-term purpose rather than in the massive quantities of the original 1979 release, it holds a modest but steady niche of interest among collectors completing a full set of Anthony dollars across all years.