Susan B. Anthony Dollar Values: The Full Story of a Failed Coin

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Short on time? The essentials

• The Susan B. Anthony dollar was struck for circulation in 1979 and 1980 at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, then again in 1999 at Philadelphia and Denver only.
• The 1981 coins were released only to collectors in mint sets and proof sets. They were never issued for general circulation and trade above the common 1979 and 1980 pieces.
• Composition is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel clad to a pure copper core. There is no silver. Weight is 8.1 grams, diameter 26.5 mm, edge reeded.
• The coin was replaced by the Sacagawea dollar in 2000. The 1999 issue was a stopgap to fill vending, transit and stamp-machine demand while the Sacagawea design was being finalized.
• Failure story: the coin was only about 2 mm larger than a Washington quarter and shared the same copper-nickel look and reeded edge, which caused constant confusion in daily transactions.
• The one well-known circulation variety is the 1979-P Wide Rim, also called the Near Date. On this variety the date sits noticeably closer to the raised rim than on the common 1979-P Narrow Rim.
• Proof collectors track the 1979-S and 1981-S Type One (Filled S) and Type Two (Clear S) mint marks. The Type Two on the 1981-S carries the biggest proof premium in the series.
• Most circulated Anthony dollars found in a coffee can or roll are worth one dollar. Original mint packaging, high uncirculated grades, and cameo proofs are the only pieces that push meaningfully above face.

On this page

• The Susan B. Anthony dollar at a glance
• Why the coin failed in circulation
• Verified physical specifications
• How to sort your SBA dollars in 60 seconds
• No silver, no melt story
• The 1979-P Wide Rim (Near Date) variety
• The 1979-S and 1981-S Type One and Type Two proofs
• Why the 1981 coins trade above face
• The 1999 revival and why there is no 1999-S
• What drives collectible value above face
• When grading an SBA dollar is worth the fee
• The cleaned-coin trap
• Counterfeits and altered SBA dollars
• What your SBA dollar is probably not
• Susan B. Anthony dollar FAQ

The Susan B. Anthony dollar at a glance

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a small copper and nickel clad United States one-dollar coin. It was struck for circulation from 1979 through 1981 at three mints, then revived in 1999 for a single production year at Philadelphia and Denver. The coin was replaced by the Sacagawea dollar in 2000.

The obverse shows a right-facing portrait of Susan B. Anthony, the 19th century social reformer and leading advocate for womens suffrage in the United States. The design is by Frank Gasparro, then Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. Anthony is the first real historical woman to appear on a circulating United States coin.

The reverse carries an eagle clutching a laurel branch and landing on the surface of the Moon. The image is adapted from the Apollo 11 mission insignia designed by astronaut Michael Collins. Gasparro reused the reverse he had first cut for the Eisenhower dollar in 1971 and shrank it to fit the smaller planchet.

The obverse and the reverse both carry a raised eleven-sided inner border inside the round rim. The eleven-sided outline was a compromise design. The vending machine industry lobbied against an actual polygonal edge because polygonal blanks would not run reliably through existing coin-acceptor equipment. A round planchet with an eleven-sided decorative border was the middle ground.

Why the coin failed in circulation

The single defining fact about the Anthony dollar is that it looked and felt too much like a Washington quarter. The public rejected the coin almost immediately. Around one and a half billion pieces were struck during the first two production years, and most of them sat in Treasury and Federal Reserve vaults for years.

The mint diameter of the Anthony dollar is 26.5 mm. The Washington quarter is 24.26 mm. That is a difference of only about 2.24 mm across the face of the coin. Both are copper and nickel clad, both have a reeded edge, and both weigh in the same broad range for pocket recognition.

In 1979, 66 percent of the general public disliked the coin, according to press coverage from that year. Complaints piled up. Public transit and many retail businesses refused to take the coins. A California Representative introduced a bill in July 1979 to enlarge the coin for easier identification, but the bill never passed.

Production tailed off sharply. Mintages fell across all three mints from 1979 to 1980. In 1981 the coin was pulled from general circulation and struck only for annual mint sets and proof sets sold to collectors. Circulation production stopped after 1981 and did not resume for eighteen years.

Verified physical specifications

The table below lists the measured specifications for every year the Susan B. Anthony dollar was struck. All four years share the same composition, weight, diameter, thickness and edge.

How to sort your SBA dollars in 60 seconds

The sequence below separates the common circulation dates from the pieces that might carry a real premium. It works on any pile of Anthony dollars, from a bank-teller find to an inherited jar.

1. Read the date on the obverse first. A 1979, 1980 or 1999 dollar is a circulation issue. A 1981 dollar was released only in collector sets and is scarcer in worn grades because most never entered daily use.
2. Read the mint mark on the obverse just above Anthony's right shoulder. No mint mark on a 1979 or 1980 coin is impossible because Philadelphia used the P for every SBA dollar. P is Philadelphia, D is Denver, and S is San Francisco.
3. For any 1979-P, check the position of the date relative to the rim. If the last 9 sits noticeably close to the raised rim, you may have the Wide Rim (Near Date) variety. If the date is well set back from the rim, it is the common Narrow Rim (Far Date).
4. For any 1979-S or 1981-S proof, look at the shape of the S mint mark under a loupe. A blobby, filled-in S is the Type One. A clean, fully open S is the Type Two. The 1981-S Type Two is the recognized premium proof in the series.
5. Check whether the coin is in original mint packaging. A sealed cellophane cello pack from a U.S. Mint uncirculated set, a hard proof lens, or an original mint roll supports a modest premium over a loose piece of the same date.
6. Look at the surfaces under angled light. An original coin with mint luster and no wear may be worth grading. A cleaned, polished, or heavily worn coin is worth face value and no more, and grading would cost more than the premium.

No silver, no melt story

Every Susan B. Anthony dollar ever struck is copper and nickel clad. There is no silver-clad variety. There is no proof-only silver version. The 40 percent silver San Francisco tradition that ran on the Kennedy half and the Eisenhower dollar was not extended to the Anthony dollar.

The intrinsic metal value is a few cents of copper and nickel per coin. That amount is well below the one dollar face value, so the face value is the floor for exchange purposes at any bank. A dealer buying scrap will not pay a premium over face for common circulated Anthony dollars, and a refiner has no reason to take the coin over face either.

The 1979-P Wide Rim (Near Date) variety

The best-known circulation variety in the entire Anthony series is the 1979-P Wide Rim, also called the Near Date. Standard references and the trade press both use both names for the same coin. It exists because the Mint modified the obverse die during the 1979 Philadelphia production run.

On the common 1979-P Narrow Rim, the raised outer rim is thin and the date sits well back from the rim, with a visible gap between the last 9 and the edge. On the Wide Rim variety, the rim is noticeably thicker and the date is pushed toward it, so the last 9 nearly touches the rim.

Both types exist for the 1979 Philadelphia issue only. Denver and San Francisco did not receive the modified die. The Wide Rim is scarcer than the Narrow Rim in every grade, and it commands a real premium in uncirculated mint state. Circulated Wide Rim pieces still trade above the common date but at modest levels.

A visual comparison against a reference photo is the safest way to attribute the variety. A certified example from an established independent grading service will label the type on the holder and set the market price for the piece.

The 1979-S and 1981-S Type One and Type Two proofs

The San Francisco Mint used two different mint mark punches for the 1979 and 1981 proof Anthony dollars. Collectors call the two styles Type One and Type Two. The distinction is small on the coin, but the price gap between the two on 1981-S is large enough that certified attribution is standard practice.

Type One is the earlier punch and shows a filled, blobby S. The interior loops of the letter are muddled and the shape is soft. Type Two is the later punch and shows a clean, fully open S with clear serifs and well-defined loops.

On the 1979-S proof, Type One is the more common issue and Type Two is the scarcer premium coin. On the 1981-S proof, the roles reverse: Type One is common and Type Two is the recognized rarity in the series, trading at a significant premium in high proof grades with cameo or deep cameo contrast.

Certification by an established third-party grading service is the standard way to buy or sell either Type Two coin. A raw 1981-S proof sold outside a certified holder as a Type Two carries meaningful risk because the price gap between the two types is wide enough to invite misattribution.

Why the 1981 coins trade above face

All 1981 Anthony dollars were struck for collectors, not for general circulation. Coins were released only inside U.S. Mint annual uncirculated sets, U.S. Mint annual proof sets, and Souvenir sets sold at the Philadelphia and Denver mint shops. No 1981 SBA dollars went to the Federal Reserve for banking distribution.

The practical consequence is that a loose circulated 1981-P, 1981-D or 1981-S found in change is unusual. Most 1981 coins now on the market either still live in original mint packaging or were pried out of a set and handled. Both are scarcer than the equivalent 1979 or 1980 coin in the same grade.

A 1981 coin still in its original mint packaging is the strongest form. An intact 1981 U.S. Mint uncirculated set, an intact 1981 proof set, or an intact 1981 Souvenir set from Philadelphia or Denver all support a premium above the loose coin.

A high mint-state grade on a raw 1981 coin outside its original set is worth more than a common 1979 or 1980 at the same grade. The premium is grade-driven. It reflects the smaller high-grade population rather than a bullion story.

The 1999 revival and why there is no 1999-S

The Anthony dollar was revived for a single year in 1999. The reason was a working stockpile problem, not a change of heart about the design. Post office stamp machines, mass transit systems and vending operators had been drawing down the Treasury inventory of Anthony dollars through the early and mid 1990s.

The vaults held around 229.5 million Anthony dollars in February 1996. By the end of 1997 that figure had fallen to about 133 million. At the observed draw-down rate the stock would run out before the newly authorized Sacagawea dollar could be delivered in quantity.

Congress passed the United States 1 Dollar Coin Act of 1997 as part of the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act signed by President Clinton on December 1, 1997. The Act authorized a gold-colored replacement dollar with a plain edge, which became the Sacagawea design. Production could not ramp fast enough, so the Mint struck one more year of Anthony dollars in 1999.

The 1999 issue was produced at Philadelphia and Denver only. No Anthony dollars were struck at San Francisco in 1999. The 1999 proof was struck at Philadelphia rather than San Francisco and carries a P mint mark, which is unusual: every earlier SBA proof carried an S. The 1999 proof was sold as a stand-alone product rather than as part of a larger annual proof set.

What drives collectible value above face

Most Anthony dollars are worth face value and nothing more. A handful of factors move a specific coin above that floor. The list below is what a serious buyer or an established grading service is actually paying for.

Condition is the largest lever. A circulated common date is a one-dollar coin. An original uncirculated example with strong mint luster and no post-strike marks may earn a mid-range mint state grade and a modest premium. A superb-gem grade at MS-66 or higher on a common date commands a real premium because clean, well-struck examples are far scarcer than the raw mintage numbers suggest.

Date and mint mark scarcity carry weight. The 1979-P Wide Rim (Near Date), the 1981-S Type Two proof, the 1979-S Type Two proof, and any 1981 coin outside original packaging trade above the common issues. Certain 1980 mint-set pieces in top grades also trade above their loose peers because of population thinning at the highest grades.

Original mint packaging matters. An intact 1979 or 1980 U.S. Mint set, an intact 1981 uncirculated or proof set, an intact 1981 Souvenir set, an original Federal Reserve mint roll, and an original 1999 proof capsule with the outer Mint holder all support premiums above the raw coin. Broken sets and empty holders do not.

Cameo contrast on proofs matters for the 1979-S, 1980-S and 1981-S. A proof with strong frost on the devices and deep mirror fields, certified as Cameo or Deep Cameo by an established independent grading service, trades above a plain proof of the same date. On the 1981-S Type Two, the Deep Cameo grade sets the market.

When grading an SBA dollar is worth the fee

Third-party grading has a per-coin fee. On a common circulated Anthony dollar, the fee exceeds any realistic premium the certified holder would create, so grading is not economically rational. On a small set of specific coins, the numbers change and grading is standard practice.

A 1979-P Wide Rim (Near Date) in a solid mint-state grade is a candidate for certification. A raw Wide Rim sells at a discount to a certified example because the attribution risk shifts to the buyer.

A 1981-S Type Two proof or a 1979-S Type Two proof is another candidate. The gap between Type One and Type Two on the 1981-S at high cameo grades is significant, and the certified holder is what sets the market price.

A 1981-P, 1981-D or 1981-S in a high uncirculated grade outside its original set is a candidate when the coin has clean surfaces and full luster. Below the top mint-state grades the fee usually exceeds the uplift, and the coin is worth more kept inside its original uncirculated or Souvenir set.

Any Anthony dollar a reader plans to consign to a mainstream numismatic auction benefits from certification. Verbal appraisals and raw holders do not carry the same weight as a graded slab from an established independent service.

The cleaned-coin trap

Cleaning is the most common condition problem across the entire Anthony series. A wiped, dipped, or polished SBA dollar almost always shows fine hairline scratches under angled light, an unnatural uniform brightness across the surfaces, or a chemical color shift where the copper core shows through the thin nickel-bearing outer layer.

Independent grading services assign a details grade to any coin they view as cleaned. A details grade typically cuts value against an original coin of the same technical rank. On an Anthony dollar, where the entire collectible market sits on grade and originality, a details grade often means the coin sells at face value plus a very small collector interest premium.

A well-meant relative who wiped grandfather's Anthony dollars with a soft cloth or a jewelry-cleaning solution to make them look nicer has almost always cost the pile real money on the pieces that might otherwise have carried a premium. The advice is the same for any old coin: do not clean it. A page dedicated to that specific mistake lives on this site under why you should never clean old coins.

Counterfeits and altered SBA dollars

Susan B. Anthony dollars are near the bottom of the counterfeit priority list for numismatic forgers. The face value is only one dollar. Most dates trade at or near face. The metal is common. There is no bullion arbitrage. Producing a passable fake is more expensive than the coin is worth for the vast majority of dates and grades.

The narrow risk lies in the premium pieces: the 1979-P Wide Rim, the 1981-S Type Two proof, and the 1979-S Type Two proof. Two problem patterns to watch for are altered coins and misattributed raw examples.

An altered coin might be a 1979-P Narrow Rim with the rim area tooled or the date shifted to imitate a Wide Rim. A misattributed raw example is a 1981-S Type One sold as a Type Two by a seller who did not check the mint mark shape.

The straightforward defense is the same as for any premium modern issue: buy the premium pieces in certified holders from an established independent grading service, and pay a raw price only for raw common-date coins.

What your SBA dollar is probably not

Susan B. Anthony dollar FAQ

Sources

1. Wikipedia (Featured Article), Susan B. Anthony dollar. Composition 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel clad to pure copper core. Weight 8.1 grams. Diameter 26.5 mm. Thickness 2.00 mm. Reeded edge. Years of minting 1979 to 1981 and 1999. Mint marks P, D and S for 1979 to 1981; P and D only for 1999. Obverse and reverse by Frank Gasparro. Reverse based on the Apollo 11 mission insignia by astronaut Michael Collins. Eleven-sided inner border. Around 1.5 billion coins struck across the first two production years. Confusion with the Washington quarter, 66 percent public disapproval in 1979, transit and stamp-machine draw-down through the 1990s, 1979-P Near Date (Wide Rim) circulation variety, Type One and Type Two S mint mark punches for 1979-S and 1981-S proofs, 1981 coins issued only in collector sets, 1999-P proof struck standalone. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony_dollar. Checked August 2026.
2. United States Mint, Dollar Coin reference page. Historical and design context for the United States dollar coin series, including the Susan B. Anthony dollar. usmint.gov/learn/history-and-artistry/dollar-coin. Checked August 2026.
3. Wikipedia, Sacagawea dollar. Background on the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act signed December 1, 1997, which included the United States 1 Dollar Coin Act of 1997 authorizing the gold-colored replacement dollar with a plain edge that became the Sacagawea design and superseded the Anthony dollar in 2000. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacagawea_dollar. Checked August 2026.
4. Coin World, Inside Coin World: Near Date or Wide Rim dollar, July 6, 2018. Trade-press reference explaining the two 1979 Philadelphia obverse types (Narrow Rim/Far Date and Wide Rim/Near Date) and the resulting collector premium on the Wide Rim variety. coinworld.com (Inside Coin World, July 2018). Checked August 2026.
5. United States Mint, 50 State Quarters and Territories Quarter reference material. Context on the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act of 1997 that established both the 50 State Quarters program and, in a separate section, the United States 1 Dollar Coin Act of 1997. usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/50-state-quarters. Checked August 2026.
6. Wikipedia, Frank Gasparro. Career of the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint who designed both the obverse and the reverse of the Anthony dollar and previously the reverse of the Eisenhower dollar in 1971. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gasparro. Checked August 2026.

By the Harry’s Coins Editorial team. Last reviewed August 2026.