Around the eagle are thirteen tiny five-point stars in a circle. The words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” are written around the top of the coin, close to the rim. The Earth is pictured over the eagle’s head. A bald eagle in descent is in the center. The reverse is based on the Apollo 11 Mission Patch created by astronaut Michael Collins. The exact placement and orientation of the hand-punched mintmarks on Eisenhower dollars may differ. Between the rim and the bottom of Eisenhower’s bust truncation, the date wraps around the bottom of the design.Ĭoins minted in Denver and San Francisco will have minuscule mintmarks of “D” or “S” above the space between the last two digits of the date, whereas coins struck in Philadelphia will not have a mintmark. “IN GOD WE TRUST” is written behind Eisenhower’s chin, to the left.īetween the rim and the top of Eisenhower’s head, LIBERTY is depicted around the top of the coin. The raised “FG” initials of Gasparro are seen in the bust truncation. Eisenhower (as President) is portrayed by Frank Gasparro, with the subject looking to the left. Congress increased the amount in 1975 by approving an extra $1 million in funding (Public Law 94-41).ĭwight D. The college was expected to receive a distribution of “one-tenth of all the money derived from the sale of $1 proof coins,” with 10% of the total funds received by the college going to the cam. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the collector versions of the coins was designated for the newly founded Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, New York, thanks to Public Law 93-441. It was contentious to strike silver-clad Eisenhower dollars for collectors. Mary Brooks, the director of the United States Mint, advocated for the currency to be struck in silver, but Congress ultimately decided to utilize the same copper-nickel (Cu-Ni) clad composition as is used for the dime and quarter dollar.Ī compromise allowed for the issuance and sale of silver-plated replicas to collectors it is the silver-clad edition of this coin that is the focus of this article. Eisenhower, a famous war hero turned president, gave Congress the chance to address the sector’s demands. This “need” and the recent loss of Dwight D. Still, the gaming industry quickly realized that it needed to find a substitute for the silver dollars it had been using to fuel tens of thousands of slot machines. What Makes A 1971 Eisenhower Dollar Valuable?Īt the beginning of the 1970s, the general public’s desire for a dollar coin was hardly discernible.

Eisenhower silver dollar 1972 value