1972 eisenhower dollar coin favorite coin

Production began in 1971 and continued through 1974 with minor design modifications. The Mint's Chief Sculptor-Engraver, Frank Gasparro, designed Eisenhower's obverse portrait and modified the Apollo 11 space mission patch for the reverse. Silver and copper-nickel clad supporters were both appeased: circulation strikes would be copper-nickel clad some struck for sale to collectors would be 40 percent silver clad. 31, 1970, minutes before a pocket veto would have killed the measure. President Nixon signed the bill into law Dec. Patman had sought passage of the act for more than a decade, so he did not object when the Coinage Act of 1969 – seeking to remove silver from the Kennedy half dollar and authorizing Eisenhower dollar production – was added as an amendment to the banking legislation. The bottleneck was cleared when the One Bank Holding Act of 1970 came up for a vote. So sure the measure would pass quickly, the Mint produced obverse and reverse galvanos dated 1970. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department switched gears, opting to seek authorization to remove all silver from the half dollar and support a circulating 40 percent silver clad dollar. Wright Patman, D-Texas, an opponent of circulating silver coins, kept the legislation from moving in the House for more than a year. Even though the Senate had passed legislation in October 1969 authorizing an Eisenhower silver dollar, the powerful chairman of the House Banking committee, Rep. Mint Director Mary Brooks stated the Mint would not oppose an amendment to include the production of a silver clad coin. Should the coin be struck in copper-nickel clad, as the Treasury Department wanted, or in the same 40 percent silver clad alloy still in use in 1969 for the Kennedy half dollar, as favored by Western mining interests? Nixon, who served as vice president during Eisenhower's presidency, was sworn in as president two months before Eisenhower died.ĭebate on the dollar coin measure, however, bogged down over metallic composition. The proposal for the dollar coin for Eisenhower had widespread, nonpartisan support.

Up to that time, the last circulating dollar had been produced in 1935 bearing the Peace designs. A dollar coin had not been produced since 1965, when 1964-D Peace dollars were struck (and destroyed before entering circulation). Soon after Eisenhower's death, legislation calling for a dollar coin depicting his likeness was introduced in Congress. The Eisenhower dollar traces its birth to the March 28, 1969, death of military hero and 34th President Dwight David Eisenhower. Circulating dollar honors military hero, president

1972 eisenhower dollar coin favorite coin