1971 Eisenhower Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 47,799,000 made
- Mintage
- 47,799,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 22.68 g
- Diameter
- 38.1 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1971 Eisenhower Dollar worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1971 Eisenhower Dollar rare?
- Not by date: 48 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1971 Eisenhower Dollar silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Circulating silver dollars ended with the 1935 Peace dollar. Some Eisenhower dollars with an S mint mark were made in 40% silver for collectors, but circulation Ike dollars are copper-nickel clad.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1971 Eisenhower Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Eisenhower's portrait and above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1971 are scarcer?
- The 1973 at 2,000,056, the 1976 (Bicentennial, Type I) at 4,019,000, the 1974 at 27,366,000. So the 1971 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1971 Eisenhower Dollar coins were made?
- 47,799,000.
What to check on your 1971
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1971-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof (4,265,234 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at Eisenhower's cheek and the hair above his ear and at the eagle's head and breast. These heavy coins picked up bag marks easily, so clean, mark-free surfaces matter as much as wear.
With 48 million made, the 1971 still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1971
1971 was the first year of the Eisenhower Dollar. Philadelphia struck 47,799,000 of them. In 1972 the figure was 76 million.
1971-D came to 69 million, so neither mint's 1971 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 8 Eisenhower Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 1973 with 2,000,056 made. The 1971 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1970s it's 11th smallest of 16, between the 1974-D (46 million) and the 1971-D (69 million).
More on the 1971
Philadelphia's first clad Eisenhower dollars, 47,799,000 of them, were the first dollar coins struck for circulation since the Peace dollar ended in 1935. Denver outproduced Philadelphia that year with 68,587,424, so the 1971 with no mint mark is the smaller of the two first-year clad issues. A 1971 with an S belongs to the separate 40% silver collector issue, which is a different coin altogether.
Collectors know the 1971 Philadelphia coin for weak, often unattractive strikes, with flat spots on Eisenhower's cheek and the eagle's breast. Bag marks are the other problem: these big, heavy coins were shipped loose in canvas bags and banged against each other on the way. As a result the 1971 is one of the harder clad Ikes to find in top uncirculated grades, even though average and worn examples are plentiful. A typical one is worth face value. If yours shows full luster, a crisp Moon surface and few marks on the portrait, it's the sort of coin that earns a collector premium once graded.
Apollo 11 eagles and silver for collectors (1971 to 1974)
The Eisenhower dollar arrived in 1971, two years after both the former president's death and the first Moon landing, so its reverse borrowed the Apollo 11 insignia. Philadelphia and Denver struck copper-nickel clad coins for circulation while San Francisco made 40% silver versions for collectors, sold in blue packs as uncirculated coins and brown boxes as proofs.
The 1973 Philadelphia and Denver coins were made only for mint sets, never for general circulation, which is why they have the lowest mintages of the regular clad issues. Specialists also sort the 1972 Philadelphia coins into three reverse types by the shape of the Earth and its islands. Most clad Ikes saw little real use, so many survive with heavy bag marks rather than wear.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1971
The Eisenhower dollar was introduced and the Kennedy half dollar changed to copper-nickel clad.
How to recognize it
Frank Gasparro's obverse shows Dwight D. Eisenhower facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below his chin and the date at the bottom. The reverse is adapted from the Apollo 11 mission insignia: an eagle landing on the Moon with an olive branch in its talons, with the Earth above. Coins dated 1776-1976 replace it with Dennis Williams' Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon. The mint mark is below the portrait, above the date.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Eisenhower Dollar (1971–1978) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1971 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 47,799,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 22.68 grams |
| Diameter | 38.1 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
Other 1971 Eisenhower Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Eisenhower Dollar | 47,799,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-D Eisenhower Dollar | 68,587,424 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1971-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Uncirculated | 6,868,530 | Collector uncirculated | 0.3162 oz |
| 1971-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof | 4,265,234 | Proof | 0.3162 oz |
Mintage: Eisenhower dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.