Eisenhower Dollars

Born in 1890 in a little town in Texas, Dwight David Eisenhower grew up to be one of the most masterful statesman as well as political leaders in the history of the United States. Since he was raised in a small town, he learned virtues such as honesty, determination, and the value of hard work that cemented his place in the annals of history.

Although having a less than stellar career in the military during the First World War, he was afterwards promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and then assigned as a staff member for General Douglas McArthur in the Philippines. However, it was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor when he impressed then chief-of-staff Gen. George Marshall that he became involved in the planning of attacks against the Axis forces during WWII. It was he who was responsible for the successful attacks against German troops in Normandy, which eventually led to the downfall of the German Empire. In 1953, he became the first soldier-president ever since Ulysses Grant in 1896. He left the White House and became one of the most popular US presidents in 1961.


In his honor, the first Eisenhower dollar was minted and issued in 1971. It was the first one to be issued since the 1935 Peace Dollar. In the coinage act of 1965, silver was not allowed to be used in the minting of coins for five years. Thus towards the end of the five years, a legislation was made that allowed for the creation of a dollar in honor of Dwight Eisenhower who had died in 1969 as well as the flight of the Apollo 11.

The Eisenhower dollar was the first one to be minted, which did not make use of silver. It was mainly made of copper and nickel and it is considered to be one of the heaviest and largest dollars ever to be issued. Silver coins, however, were also minted as collector coins. It had the profile bust of Eisenhower on the obverse side with the inscriptions “Liberty”, “In God We Trust” and the year 1971. On the reverse side, an insignia pertaining to the flight of the Apollo 11 was engraved since it was under Eisenhower that the space missions began. It features the picture of an eagle with an olive branch landing on the surface of the moon. A picture of the earth is seen in the background. Accompanying these are the inscriptions “United Stated of America”, “E Pluribus Unum” and the words “One Dollar”.

On the release of the 1976 Eisenhower Dollars, the design of the reverse side was changed in order to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the revolution. It featured a picture of the Liberty Bell with the earth at the background. The same inscriptions as those seen in the 1971 Eisenhower Dollars were used.

As of March 3, 2011 the total melt value for the Eisenhower Dollars issued in the years 1971-1974 and 1976 is roughly eleven dollars. This estimate is for the silver dollar collectibles issued on the said years.

For modern coin collectors, the Eisenhower Dollars are more popular as compared to the Peace Dollar despite the latter’s larger silver content and they serve as a great collector item for those who are into the coin collection hobby.