Savvy collectors should take note that due to the Eisenhower dollar’s absence in the 19 Mint Sets, the millions of coins that would have been preserved in Mint State for the issue are simply not available. A number of minute die markers have allowed series specialists to differentiate between the two releases and research conducted by the Ike Group revealed that the Mint deployed harder die steel to strike Eisenhower dollars later in the year.Īs the 1972 Type 2 commands a significant premium over the more common Type 1 and T(P) Eisenhower dollars, many dealers and collectors look primarily for the Type 2 coin’s incuse islands and ignore the fact that all three types in grades above MS65 are scarce to rare. The number of Type 2 coin emissions is not understood with certitude, but contemporary reports of its discovery indicate that small numbers of TEisenhower dollars were released in March and then in August 1972. The graphic above illustrates the major pick-up points for each variety. In order to distinguish between the three 1972 Eisenhower dollar varieties, you must take note of the shape of the earth and the configuration of the Caribbean islands. Of the three, only the Type 2 is scarce – it was struck with a reverse die that was intended for use on the Proof version of the coin. Collectors know these varieties as Types 1-3. Whitman Publishing’s Guide Book of United States Coins (more commonly referred to as the “ Red Book“) lists three varieties of the 1972 Eisenhower dollar. How to Identify the Three 1972 Eisenhower Dollar Varieties

In 1972, these design changes led to the release of three different reverse varieties. The technical challenges of striking large coins in the harder Cu-Ni composition were considerable and throughout the first two years of the coin’s production, it is clear that United States Mint Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro was forced to make a series of seemingly small revisions to the coin in order to correct the deficiencies in his design. Nixon was a fitting signer of the memorial legislation as he had served for two terms as Eisenhower’s Vice President.Įisenhower dollars produced for circulation were struck in the copper-nickel (Cu-Ni) sandwich metal that was used to strike all dimes and quarters dated 1965 onward, while special silver-clad versions were struck for the collector market.

The coin was authorized by the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970, which were signed into law by President Richard M. Eisenhower, who had died in March 1969 at the age of 78. The large dollar coin was struck to honor President Dwight D. The Mint Was Still Refining the Eisenhower Dollar Design in 1972Īfter one year of development, the Eisenhower dollar was released in 1971.

One dollar silver coin 1972 value