Susan B. Anthony dollar: $0.117 in metal
Front1981-S Type 2 proof Susan B. Anthony dollar (type coin shown)
BackSame coin typeThe Susan B. Anthony dollar (1979 to 1981 and 1999) is clad copper-nickel with no silver or gold in it. The metal in one coin is worth about $0.117, so the coin is worth its $1 face value or more to a collector. Copper is $6.46 per pound today.
Melt value is the metal only. It is not what the coin sells for: collectors pay for date, mint mark and condition. This page does not show collector prices. Price guides: PCGS, NGC.
Susan B. Anthony Dollar: weight, size and metal
| Version | Weight | Metal in one coin | Metal value now |
|---|---|---|---|
| CladOuter layers 75% copper, 25% nickel over a copper core: about 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel overall | 8.1 g | 7.43 g copper, 0.67 g nickel | $0.117 |
Designer: Frank Gasparro. Edge: reeded. Mint mark: On the obverse, beside Anthony's shoulder. Philadelphia coins carry a P, the first P on a US coin since the wartime nickels. Metal in one coin = weight x the metal's share; metal value = grams ÷ 453.59 grams per pound, times the copper and nickel prices. Nickel has no free live feed, so the nickel price is an editorial estimate.
What a group of SBA dollars is worth in metal
| Coins | Clad |
|---|---|
| 1 | $0.12 |
| 10 | $1.17 |
| 100 | $11.68 |
| 1,000 | $116.83 |
Metal value at the live price, before any dealer discount and with no collector premium. The face value of 100 coins is $100.
Susan B. Anthony Dollar dates collectors look for
| Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 1979-P Near Date (wide rim)Part of 360,222,000 minted | A variety where the date sits closer to the rim. Coin World describes it as worth more than the regular issue. |
| 1981-P, 1981-D, 1981-S3.0 to 3.5 million each minted | Struck only for collectors, so they are scarcer than the 1979 and 1980 coins. |
| 1999-P and 1999-D29.6 million and 11.8 million minted | The coin was struck again for one year in 1999 until the Sacagawea dollar was ready. |
| Proofs with the clear S (1979-S and 1981-S)Proofs, not circulation minted | Some proofs have a mint mark made with a different punch that is easier to read. These are listed as scarcer than regular proofs. |
Mintages are the figures in the sources listed below. This page does not list collector prices.
Susan B. Anthony Dollar mintage by date and mint
Circulation strikes 11 rows
The 1981 coins were struck only for sale to collectors. The 1979, 1980 and 1981 figures add up to the totals the Mint reported (757,813,744, 89,660,708 and 9,742,000).
| Date and mint | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1979-P | 360,222,000 |
| 1979-D | 288,015,744 |
| 1979-S | 109,576,000 |
| 1980-P | 27,610,000 |
| 1980-D | 41,628,708 |
| 1980-S | 20,422,000 |
| 1981-P | 3,000,000 |
| 1981-D | 3,250,000 |
| 1981-S | 3,492,000 |
| 1999-P | 29,592,000 |
| 1999-D | 11,776,000 |
About the susan b. anthony dollar
The Susan B. Anthony dollar was approved in 1978 to replace the large Eisenhower dollar. It was the first circulating US coin to show a real woman instead of a symbolic figure. It was smaller, with an 11-sided inner border, and was meant to work in vending machines and transit systems.
It was confused with the quarter because of its similar size and color, and people did not accept it. About 857 million were struck from 1979 to 1981, mostly kept in storage; the Mint stopped in 1981. The stock ran out by the late 1990s, so the Mint struck about 41 million more in 1999 (29,592,000 at Philadelphia and 11,776,000 at Denver) until the gold-colored Sacagawea dollar began in 2000.
What the sources say
- History CoinWeek says the Susan B. Anthony dollar was the first clad small dollar coin produced for circulation in the United States.
- History CoinWeek says the Government hoped a new dollar coin would displace the paper dollar bill in commerce, but Anthony dollars generally were ignored by the public.
- mintage CoinWeek (2022) says the 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar business-strike run of 41.4 million coins was largely to fill a demand for hard money amid Y2K concerns.
- History PCGS CoinFacts says that from the outset the public confused the small-diameter Anthony dollars with the quarter dollars in circulation.
Sources for these notes
CoinWeek: “was the first clad small dollar coin produced for circulation in the United States”
CoinWeek: “The Government had also hoped that a new dollar coin would displace the paper one dollar bill in commerce, but Anthony Dollars generally were ignored by the public.”
CoinWeek: “Susie B returned in 1999, but that 41.4 million business-strike production run was largely to fill a demand for hard money at a time when the predicted (but thankfully unfulfilled) Y2K crisis threatened computerized banking systems.”
PCGS CoinFacts: “From the outset, the public confused the small-diameter dollars with the quarter dollars in circulation, much as they did with the twenty cent piece about 100 years earlier.”
Quick answers
Is a Susan B. Anthony dollar silver?
No. It is copper-nickel clad with no silver. Only collector silver coins from other series, such as the 40% silver Eisenhower dollar, hold silver.
How much metal is in a Susan B. Anthony dollar?
It weighs 8.1 g and is about 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel, so the metal is worth about $0.12 at current prices, far below the $1 face value.
Why did the Susan B. Anthony dollar fail?
People confused it with the quarter because of its size and color. Most of the 857 million struck from 1979 to 1981 were kept in storage rather than used.
Which Susan B. Anthony dollars are worth more?
Collectors look for the 1979-P Near Date variety, the collector-only 1981 coins and certain proofs. Melt value is not what sets those prices, and this page does not list collector prices.
Eisenhower dollarSilver dollar melt calculatorSilver dollar valueMint marks explained
Sources: Susan B. Anthony dollar (specifications, mintage totals and the 1999 figures (citing R.S. Yeoman, A Guide Book of United States Coins), collecting notes); Susan B. Anthony Dollar Mintages (susanbanthonydollar.org) (per-mint figures for 1979-P, D and S, 1980 and 1981); PCGS: Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States, chapter 22 (cross-check of the 1979 to 1981 and 1999 mintages); Greysheet: 1980-D SBA dollar listing (mint mark location). Photo: 1981-S Type 2 proof Susan B. Anthony dollar (type coin shown), US Mint (coin), Heritage Auctions (image). Public domain. Facts checked 2026-10-30. Metal prices: Lustre market data (gold-api.com feed).
