Owner Comments:
One of the great advantages of this variety is that it’s relatively easy to attribute. Unlike with some other varieties, identifying this coin requires no reference material beyond the description here, as the two San Francisco mintmark styles seen on 1979 Proof Susan B. Anthony dollars are very distinctive indeed. At the start of the year, the Filled S (or Type 1) mintmark was used. It has a rectangular shape from which the indistinct slither of the letter S seems to emerge. It is uncharacteristically rough and crude for a U.S. Mint product. Surprisingly, this style mintmark was used on all six denominations of Proof coins at the start of the year. The mark is less an S than it is a shapeless blob; while other coins display filled mintmarks, there are no other Proof issues where such a worn punch was used. Later in the year, the Mint opted to make a change. They introduced a new S-letter punch. The letter in the new style has very small, almost-absent serifs, and is evenly weighted throughout the curl. It is a more-modern letter style, called the Clear S or Type 2 mark by collectors. The easiest way to distinguish this mark is to examine the inset cuts where the ends of the S meet the loops. The letter shape does not emerge from a rectangular base, but from a fully S-shaped base. This mintmark change occurs on all six denominations in 1979, although certain coins are found in more-even proportion between the two types, so their premiums are relatively modest by comparison (the 1979-S Clear S Kennedy half dollar is the exception). Some specialists have suggested that roughly one out of every eight Proof 1979-S Susan B. Anthony dollars are of the Type 2 variety, putting their estimated mintage at 460,000 of the 3.7 million struck. Since the Anthony dollar is such a short series, minted in just four years, this variety is considered a standard collectible coin to be included in the complete set, thus adding to its demand and price. All 1979-S Proof dollars were sold as part of the 1979 Proof set, the case of which was jury-rigged with a clear plastic washer to fit the small Susan B. Anthony dollar into the oversized Eisenhower dollar slot. Because the differences are easy to spot, the variety is rarely sold unattributed. Collectors of original Proof sets will pay a premium for original 1979 Proof sets when all six coins possess the Clear S, Type 2 mintmark.
Garrett, Jeff; Schechter, Scott; Bressett, Kenneth; Bowers, Q. David (2011-03-04). 100 Greatest US Modern Coins (Kindle Locations 3266-3285). Whitman Publishing. Kindle Edition.