1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 109,576,000 made
- Mintage
- 109,576,000
- 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 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 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar rare?
- Not by date: 110 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1979-S Susan B. Anthony 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 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 coins were made?
- 109,576,000.
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-D (288 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 1979-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar Proof (3,677,175 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. 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.
With 110 million made, the 1979-S 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 1979-S
1979 was the first year of the Susan B. Anthony Dollar. San Francisco struck 109,576,000 of them. In 1980 the figure was 20 million.
1979-D came to 288 million and 1979-P came to 360 million, so neither mint's 1979 coin is much scarcer than the other.
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 | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 109,576,000 |
| 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.