1974 Eisenhower Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 27,366,000 made
- Mintage
- 27,366,000
- 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 1974 Eisenhower Dollar worth?
Worn examples are worth face value and can be spent. Keep it only if it looks uncirculated or shows a known variety.
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 1974 Eisenhower Dollar rare?
- No. 27 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1974 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 1974 Eisenhower Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Eisenhower's portrait and above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1974 are scarcer?
- The 1973 at 2,000,056, the 1976 (Bicentennial, Type I) at 4,019,000, the 1977 at 12,596,000, plus 1 more. So the 1974 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1974 Eisenhower Dollar coins were made?
- 27,366,000.
What to check on your 1974
- 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 1974-S Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Clad) (2,612,568 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 27 million made, the 1974 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 1974
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1974: 27,366,000 coins, about 14 times the 1973 run. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1976.
1974-D came to 46 million, so neither mint's 1974 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Philadelphia struck the Eisenhower Dollar in 8 issues between 1971 and 1978. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1973 (2,000,056). Within the 1970s it's 7th smallest of 16, between the 1978 (26 million) and the 1977-D (33 million).
More on the 1974
After a year of mint-set-only production, Philadelphia returned the Ike to circulation in 1974 with 27,366,000 coins. Denver made 45,517,000, so the Philadelphia coin was the smaller of the two. It was also little more than a third of Philadelphia's 1972 output, which shows how demand for the big dollar had faded.
This was the last year the Apollo 11 reverse appeared for a while. From 1975 both mints struck dollars dated 1776-1976 with Dennis Williams's Liberty Bell and Moon design, so no Eisenhower dollar carries a 1975 date. The Apollo reverse returned for 1977 and 1978, the final two years. For a 1974 with no mint mark, look for a sharply struck Moon surface and as few bag marks as possible on Eisenhower's face and neck. Most examples are worth face value. A lustrous, lightly marked coin earns a small premium, with only top certified grades bringing a collector premium. Look for the copper stripe on the edge, which every clad Ike shows.
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 1974
With copper prices rising, the Mint struck experimental aluminum cents dated 1974. Nearly all were destroyed and they were never issued.
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 | 1974 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 27,366,000 |
| 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 1974 Eisenhower Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 Eisenhower Dollar | 27,366,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-D Eisenhower Dollar | 45,517,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Uncirculated | 1,900,156 | Collector uncirculated | 0.3162 oz |
| 1974-S Eisenhower Dollar Proof (Clad) | 2,612,568 | Proof | – |
| 1974-S Silver Eisenhower Dollar Proof | 1,306,579 | 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.