2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 454,975 made
- Mintage
- 454,975
- Metal
- Manganese brass
- Weight
- 8.1 g
- Diameter
- 26.49 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 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 454,975 were made, 34th lowest of the 58 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar silver?
- No. It's manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% 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 2021 American Innovation Dollar?
- On the edge, incused with the date. On this coin the mark is P, for Philadelphia.
- How many 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar coins were made?
- 454,975.
What to check on your 2021-P
- Make sure the mint mark really is a P. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 2021-D (453,025 made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 2021-S Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar Proof (92,075 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. These are sold in rolls, bags and sets, so most survive uncirculated. Value depends on luster and freedom from marks.
Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Philadelphia made 454,975 of the Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel innovation dollar. That was the biggest Philadelphia run of the 4 designs issued in 2021; New York: Erie Canal had the smallest at 453,750.
Denver struck a similar number of the same design (453,025), so neither mint's version is much harder to find.
Across the whole program it sits 14th of 29 Philadelphia designs by mintage, where the scarcest is Mississippi: First human lung transplant at 399,275.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2021
The America the Beautiful quarter program ended and a new reverse showing General Washington crossing the Delaware took its place. Morgan and Peace dollars were struck again for their centennial.
How to recognize it
The Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel design
Virginia's coin celebrates the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which opened in 1964 to link the Hampton Roads area with the Eastern Shore. The crossing combines long low trestles with tunnels beneath the main shipping channels, so naval and commercial ships can pass without obstruction. It replaced a ferry service across the mouth of the bay. The reverse presents a cutaway cross section of the structure, showing traffic moving through a tunnel below the water. Matt Swaim designed it and John P. McGraw sculpted it.
The American Innovation Dollar design
The obverse shows the Statue of Liberty in profile with IN GOD WE TRUST and $1. Each reverse honors an innovation or innovator from one state or territory, issued in the order the states joined the Union. The date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are lettered on the edge, which is where to look for the mint mark.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | American Innovation Dollar (2018–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | "P" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 454,975 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Manganese brass (88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 8.1 grams |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Edge | Lettered with the date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM |
| Designer | Various artists |
Other 2021 American Innovation Dollar issues
Mintage: American Innovation dollars (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.