1979-S Susan B Anthony Dollar
The 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar was the first year of mintage for the new small sized dollar. The coin’s release coincided with some promotional efforts on behalf of the United States Mint. The coin was called “the dollar of the future” and some of the benefits enumerated included the fact that it “won’t blow away” like paper dollars and that it was “quick to identify”. The later claim would be widely denied by the public, who confused the coin with the quarter dollar in circulation.
Prior to the coin’s release into circulation, the Mint facilities at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco undertook massive production of the new Susan B. Anthony Dollars. According to information from the US Mint, over 500 million coins were scheduled for production before the coin was issued on July 2, 1979. Eventually more than 750 million coins dated 1979 were produced at the three facilities.
There are two varieties for the 1979-P Susan B Anthony Dollar. The so-called “narrow rim” coin has the date further away from the rim than the “wide rim” coin. The Wide Rim is considered the scarcer variety, especially in higher grades.
There are also two varieties for the 1979-S Proof Susan B Anthony Dollar. The “S” mintmark appears filled for Type 1 proofs and the “S” mintmark appears clear for Type 2 proofs. The Type2 is the scarcer variety with an estimated 400 to 500 thousand pieces minted.
