1981-P Susan B. Anthony Dollar

The story of the 1981-P

Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1981. Only 3,000,000 were made, against 28 million the year before. That drop is why the 1981-P is the one people look for. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1999.

1981-D came to 3.3 million and 1981-S came to 3.5 million, so neither mint's 1981 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1999-D (11,776,000) and the 1980-S (20,422,000).

More on the 1981-P

Philadelphia struck 3,000,000 Anthony dollars in 1981, all for mint sets sold to collectors. That is the lowest mintage of any business strike in the series. Because the coins came in sets, nearly every one survives in uncirculated condition. The sets also held 1981 dollars from Denver and San Francisco.

Coins that have been taken out of their sets may show toning or small handling marks. Look for clean, even luster and sharp feathers on the eagle. Typical examples trade at a small premium. In top uncirculated grades the 1981-P can bring a collector premium. If you find one in circulation, it was spent by a collector or came from a broken set. Compare it with your 1979 and 1980 dollars: the design is the same, but the 1981 coins were never sent out to banks. A complete 1981 set of P, D and S dollars is easy to assemble and makes a neat display of the final collector-only year.

Falling output and collector-only 1981 coins (1980 to 1981)

With the 1979 dollars piling up unused, the Mint cut production sharply. Philadelphia struck 27,610,000 in 1980, Denver 41,628,708 and San Francisco 20,422,000. Many of these went straight into storage rather than into change, so uncirculated 1980 dollars are as easy to find as the 1979 coins. San Francisco also struck 3,554,806 proofs that year, all with a well-formed S. In both 1980 and 1981 Denver struck more dollars than Philadelphia, the reverse of the pattern in 1979.

By 1981 no more were needed for commerce. The 1981 dollars from Philadelphia (3,000,000), Denver (3,250,000) and San Francisco (3,492,000) were issued only in mint sets sold to collectors, so they were never released into everyday use. That makes them the lowest-mintage business strikes of the series, though nearly every one survives in uncirculated condition. Coins that have been out of their sets for years may show toning or handling marks. A fully original coin with clean surfaces is the one to look for.

The 1981-S proof, with 4,063,083 struck, also has two mint mark types. A worn punch was replaced in the autumn of 1981 with a new one that gives a sharper S with bulbous serifs. These Type 2 coins are somewhat scarcer than the 1979-S Type 2. When grading 1980 and 1981 coins, check Anthony's cheekbone and the eagle's feathers for wear, since most survivors are close to mint condition and small differences matter.

Elsewhere in US coinage in 1981

Susan B. Anthony dollars were made only for collector sets, ending the design until a final run in 1999.