Bill Jones' Type Set
$1 EISENHOWER, CLAD (1971-1978)

Owner Comments:

In 1971 The United States Government unveiled its first attempt since 1935 to place a one dollar coin in general circulation. Unlike the previous dollar coins, which had been made in silver or gold, these pieces were struck on large copper-nickel clad planchets that were comparable to those that had been used for the dime, quarter and half dollar. The coins featured a portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower who had been the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and a U.S. President from 1953 to 1961. The reverse was dominated by an eagle placing an olive branch on the surface of the moon. This design commemorated the first moon landing, which occurred on July 20, 1969. Like all of the other silver dollars that had preceded it, the public generally refused to use the Eisenhower Dollar because it was large, heavy and cumbersome. Most coins ended up in government storage, coin collections and non-collector hoards. Many of these hoards came into being because some people thought that these coins contained silver and therefore worth more than a dollar. The shown here was issued as part of a 1978 Proof set. It is an unusually nice example with frosted devices and mirrored fields.