Eisenhower Dollar

The Eisenhower Dollar is a large United States one-dollar coin struck from 1971 through 1978, named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose left-facing profile appears on the obverse alongside LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. The reverse shows an eagle descending toward the Moon carrying an olive branch, encircled by E PLURIBUS UNUM — a design adapted from the Apollo 11 mission insignia. The example shown here is dated 1974.

Most Eisenhower Dollars made for circulation, including this one, were struck in copper-nickel clad: outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core. The coin is physically imposing at about 38.1 mm across and roughly 22.7 grams, with a reeded edge. Special collector versions were also produced in a 40% silver-clad composition, but the everyday circulating coins carry no silver.

President Eisenhower died in March 1969, and later that year the same Apollo 11 crew returned from the first Moon landing. Congress authorized a new dollar coin to honor both the president and the lunar mission, and Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro created the design: Eisenhower's portrait on the obverse and, on the reverse, an eagle alighting on the Moon after the Apollo 11 emblem. Production began in 1971, making it the first circulating U.S. dollar coin struck since the Peace Dollar series ended in 1935.

The series ran from 1971 to 1978 at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. In 1975 and 1976 the reverse was temporarily changed to a Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon for the United States Bicentennial, with those coins dual-dated 1776–1976; the eagle-on-the-Moon reverse seen here belongs to the standard non-Bicentennial years such as 1974. The large, heavy coin proved unpopular for everyday use, and it was replaced in 1979 by the much smaller Susan B. Anthony Dollar.

The obverse is the fastest confirmation: a bare left-facing profile of Dwight D. Eisenhower, with LIBERTY arching above and IN GOD WE TRUST in small letters to the left of the neck. The date appears below the truncation of the bust; on this coin it reads 1974.

The reverse shows a stylized eagle, wings raised, landing on the cratered surface of the Moon and clutching an olive branch, with a small Earth in the background and thirteen stars above. E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircle the design, with ONE DOLLAR at the bottom. This eagle-on-the-Moon reverse identifies a standard-issue Ike Dollar and separates it from the 1776–1976 Bicentennial coins, which instead show a Liberty Bell over the Moon.

Physically the coin is large — about 38.1 mm in diameter, roughly 22.7 grams, with a reeded edge. The mint mark, when present, sits on the obverse just above the date: D for Denver or S for San Francisco, while Philadelphia coins carry no mint mark. A circulating copper-nickel clad example shows a plain copper stripe along its edge; 40% silver collector versions (struck only at San Francisco) look slightly brighter and were sold in special packaging rather than released into change.

Most circulated Eisenhower Dollars are extremely common and trade at or only a little above face value, since they were struck in copper-nickel clad with no precious-metal content. Well-preserved uncirculated examples, sharply struck coins, and certain scarcer date-and-mint combinations bring modest premiums, and top-grade certified pieces can be worth substantially more to specialists.

The 40% silver-clad versions — sold by the Mint in blue envelopes (uncirculated) or brown boxes (proof) — carry silver value and generally sell for more than the clad coins. Values depend on date, mint mark, finish, and condition, so treat these as general context rather than fixed prices; check recent sales for your specific coin. Because the eagle-and-Moon reverse of a 1974-type coin is not silver, its worth rests mainly on grade and eye appeal rather than metal.