1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the San Francisco Mint · 3,677,175 made
- Mintage
- 3,677,175
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 8.1 g
- Diameter
- 26.5 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 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof worth?
Age alone gives this coin a small premium, even worn. Sharp details and original surfaces push it higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 3,677,175 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof 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 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar?
- On the obverse, to the left of Anthony's portrait, just above her shoulder (P, D or S). On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar proofs were made?
- 3,677,175.
What to check on your 1979-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1979-S (110 million made).
- Judge the grade under good light. Check Anthony's cheekbone and the hair behind her ear, then the eagle's feathers. Most survivors are bright and lightly worn; uncirculated coins are common.
Proofs from 1979 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1979-S
More on the 1979-S
San Francisco struck 3,677,175 proof Anthony dollars in 1979. That total includes two types. Type 1 proofs, struck from about July to October, have a filled S that looks more like a blob than a letter. Type 2 proofs, from November and December, show a clear, well-defined S. The change came when the Mint replaced the mint mark punch used on proof dies.
Type 1 is the common one. Most 1979 proof sets contain it. A Type 2 carries a collector premium. To tell them apart, look closely at the S mint mark under magnification: if you can see the open loops of the letter, it is Type 2. A blurry or filled S is Type 1. Cameo and deep cameo coins, with frosted designs against mirror fields, bring more in either type. Check the fields for haze or spots, which can develop on proofs stored for decades. Keep the coin in its original holder.
1979: launch year and the rim change (1979)
The Susan B. Anthony dollar was authorized by a law signed on October 10, 1978 and released on July 2, 1979. It replaced the large Eisenhower dollar with a coin 26.5 millimeters across, made of copper-nickel clad copper. All three mints struck it in enormous numbers: 360,222,000 at Philadelphia, 288,015,744 at Denver and 109,576,000 at San Francisco, a total of 757,813,744. The Philadelphia coins carried a P mint mark, the first time that letter had appeared on a US coin since the wartime nickels of 1942 to 1945.
The public turned against it almost at once. It was close to a quarter in size and color and had a reeded edge, so people confused the two. Cash registers had no slot for it either. Large numbers stayed in Treasury and bank vaults, which is why uncirculated 1979 dollars remain plentiful today and most worn ones are worth face value.
Two varieties make 1979 worth a careful look. After a large number of coins had been struck, the Mint widened the rim on the Philadelphia dies. On this Wide Rim, or Near Date, variety the bottom of the date almost touches the rim; on the common Narrow Rim the date sits farther in. The Wide Rim is considerably scarcer but not rare. San Francisco's proofs also come in two types: early coins have a filled, blob-like S, while those struck late in the year show a clear, open S. The Type 2 Clear S is the scarcer proof.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1979
The small Susan B. Anthony dollar replaced the Eisenhower dollar. It was too easily confused with the quarter and saw little use.
How to recognize it
Frank Gasparro's portrait shows Susan B. Anthony facing right, her hair drawn back into a bun above a high collar. LIBERTY runs across the top, the date sits at the bottom and IN GOD WE TRUST appears in small letters to the right of her chin. Thirteen stars ring the field and the P, D or S mint mark is just above her shoulder on the left side. Both faces are framed by an eleven-sided inner border, added to help people tell the coin from a quarter by touch and sight. The reverse keeps the Eisenhower dollar's eagle adapted from the Apollo 11 insignia: an eagle with spread wings lands on the moon holding an olive branch, with the Earth above. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs over the top, E PLURIBUS UNUM sits beside the Earth and ONE DOLLAR is below. The coin is 26.5 mm across with a reeded edge.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979–1999) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 3,677,175 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 8.1 grams |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
Other 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollar | 360,222,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollar (Wide Rim, Near Date variety) | – | Variety | – |
| 1979-D Susan B. Anthony Dollar | 288,015,744 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar | 109,576,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof | 3,677,175 | Proof | – |
| 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof (Type 2, Clear S) | – | Variety | – |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.