1972-D Eisenhower Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 92,548,511 made
- Mintage
- 92,548,511
- 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 1972-D Eisenhower Dollar worth?
A worn 1972-D is a spender: face value. A bright uncirculated one, or one with a known error, is worth setting aside.
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 1972-D Eisenhower Dollar rare?
- No. With 93 million made, it's one of the most common Eisenhower Dollars.
- Is the 1972-D 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 1972 Eisenhower Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Eisenhower's portrait and above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1972 are scarcer?
- The 1973-D at 2,000,000, the 1976-D (Bicentennial, Type I) at 21,048,710, the 1977-D at 32,983,006, plus 3 more. So the 1972-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1972-D Eisenhower Dollar coins were made?
- 92,548,511.
What to check on your 1972-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1972 (76 million made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1972-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof (1,811,631 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 93 million made, the 1972-D 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 1972-D
Denver made 92,548,511 in 1972, up from 69 million in 1971. In 1973 the figure was 2 million.
1972 came to 76 million, so neither mint's 1972 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 8 Eisenhower Dollars Denver struck between 1971 and 1978, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest Denver issue is the 1973-D at 2,000,000. Within the 1970s it's 15th smallest of 16, between the 1976-D (Bicentennial, Type II) (82 million) and the 1976 (Bicentennial, Type II) (113 million).
More on the 1972-D
Denver struck 92,548,511 Eisenhower dollars dated 1972, the highest total of any Ike with the Apollo reverse from 1971 to 1974. It was also about 16.7 million more than Philadelphia made that year and roughly 24 million more than Denver's own first-year run of 68,587,424. The 1972-D also outnumbered every Eisenhower dollar Philadelphia struck from 1971 to 1974.
The Moon landing on the reverse was still current news while these coins were being struck: Apollo 16 and Apollo 17, the last crewed Moon landings, both flew in 1972. Few people wanted a dollar coin this big in their pockets, though. Many 1972-D coins spent their working lives in casino slot machines and on gaming tables in Nevada rather than in ordinary change. Worn coins are worth face value. Before you spend one, check for strong luster on the Moon's surface and few marks on Eisenhower's cheek; a clean, original 1972-D is worth setting aside for a small premium, with top certified grades bringing more.
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 1972
Doubled dies at Philadelphia produced the 1972 Doubled Die cent, the most widely known modern doubled die after 1955.
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 | 1972 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 92,548,511 |
| 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 1972 Eisenhower Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Eisenhower Dollar | 75,890,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1972-D Eisenhower Dollar | 92,548,511 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1972-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Uncirculated | 2,193,056 | Collector uncirculated | 0.3162 oz |
| 1972-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof | 1,811,631 | 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.