Q. David Bowers
Coinage Context
Final Denver issue: The Denver Mint ended its association with the Eisenhower dollar series with a slight increase in mintage over the previous year's total.
Mint sets, sold at $7.00 each, contained one each of all business strike issues, cent through the Eisenhower dollar; in total, 2,162,609 sets were sold.
Numismatic Information
Availability: Eisenhower dollar specialist Dave McHenry noted this:
1978-D: This date still exists in quantities. Most coins are bagmarked, and higher quality coins are quite elusive.
Varieties
Business strikes:
1. 1978-D copper-nickel clad.
Business Strikes:
Enabling legislation: Act of July 23, 1965 (clad metal), Act of December 31, 1970, and others.
Designer: Frank Gasparro.
Weight (copper-nickel clad): 350 grains (tolerance 4%); outer layers of .750 copper and .250 nickel bonded to inner core of pure copper.
Dies prepared (approximate): Obverse: 331; Re-verse: 166.
Business strike mintage: 33,012,890.
Comment on availability, MS-65 or better: Scarcer than lower grades.
Comment on availability, MS-64: Same comment as above.
Comment on availability, MS-63: Common.
Comment on availability, MS-60 to 62: Most known Mint State coins are in this category.
Comment on availability, VF-20 to AU-58: Com-mon.
Characteristics of striking: The typical 1978-D Eisenhower dollar is well struck and moderately lustrous, but with numerous bagmarks.
Known hoards of Mint State coins: Some bags are believed to exist.
Proofs:
None.
Commentary
Another common date in all grades.