Susan B Anthony Dollar

Susan B. Anthony (February 15, 1820 - March 13, 1906) was prominent in the 19th century Women's Rights Movement, especially seeking the right to vote for women.

Susan learned to read and write at age three. When she was six years old, the Anthony family moved to Battenville, New York. Susan went to a a local district school, where a teacher refused to teach her long division because she was a girl. Her father place her in a group home school so that he could teach Susan himself. Mary Perkins, another teacher there and Susan's role model of a progressive woman, and helped form Susan's belief of the equality of women and men . . . a belief which continued to grow throughout Susan's education in other settings and locations.

Susan became a teacher, her first position being at Eunice Kenyon's Friends' Seminary in New Rochelle, NY. At the Canajoharie Academy she rose to the position of headmistress of the Female Department.

While teaching Susan gained her first experience fighting for women's rights. Male teachers made four times the salary that women earned. Susan became active in the temperance and anti-slavery movements. In 1851, Susan was introduced to Elizabeth Cady Stanton by fellow feminist Amelia Bloomer. She and Stanton organized the first women's state temperance society in America and remained friends for life They traveled the country giving speeches, publishing, and promoting equal rights for women. They founded the National Women's Suffrage Association (NWSA) in 1869.

Although Susan B Anthony did not live to see women receive the vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment (which was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920), her role was considered so vital that Congress honored her by placing her image on the Susan B Anthony Dollar.

The value of a coin is based on two factors. The first is how rare the coin is. This is a combination of how many coins were originally minted, and what happened to them. Some are destroyed accidentally. Some have been recalled by the government. Collectors have taken some out of circulation. As a particular type of coin has fewer examples available, it becomes more valuable. The other factor is the physical condition of a coin. The closer a specimen is to perfect is, the more valuable it becomes. So a rare, perfect coin is much more valuable than a common, worn coin.

The American Numismatic has developed a grading system to describe the condition of a coin. What I will discuss here is coins that have been minted to go into general circulation, released. The conditions of the coins are represented by names, as well as a combination of letters and numbers. I have summarized some general conditions here.

Perfect Uncirculated (MS-70) This indicates a coin in perfect, new condition. It shows no trace of handling, wear, or contact with other coins.

Gem Uncirculated (MS-65) This is an above average uncirculated coin. It may be brilliant, or it may be lightly toned. There are very few contact marks either on either surface of the coin or on the rim.

Choice Uncirculated (MS-63) This coin has some distracting contact marks and/or blemishes in the prime focal areas of one or both surfaces. The luster of the coin may be impaired.

Uncirculated (MS-60) This coin has no trace of wear, but it may show several contact marks, and the surface of the coin may lack luster, or even be spotted.

Choice About Uncirculated (AU-55) There is evidence of friction on the high points of the coin's design, but most of the mint luster remains.

About Uncirculated (AU-50) This coin shows traces of light wear on many of the high points of the coin. At least half of the original mint luster is still present.

Choice Extremely Fine (EF-45) The coin exhibits light overall wear on the highest points of the coin. Some of the original mint luster is still evident. All design details are still very clear and sharp.

Extremely Fine (EF-40) There is light wear throughout the design, but all features of the design are still sharp and well-defined. Although not an essential element to the the definition of this grade, some traces of mint luster may still exist.

Choice Very Fine (VF-30) Light, even wear on the surface and highest parts throughout the design. All major features of the design, as well as al lettering remain sharp.

Very Fine (VF-20) While all major details of the design remain clear, there is moderate wear on high points of the coin's design.

Fine (F-12) There is moderate to considerable even wear. The design remains bold, and the overall appearance of the coin is still pleasing to the eye.

Very Good (VG-8) The coin is well worn with the main features of the design remaining clear and bold, although they have been worn somewhat flat.

Good (G-4) This coin is heavily worn. The design is still visible, but many of the details are flat, and the design is faint in some areas.

About Good (AG-3) This coin is very heavily worn with portions of the lettering, date, and legend have been worn smooth. In many instances, the date is barely readable. of possible values.

In deciding to mint a new dollar coin the US Treasury Department did a considerable amount of research into what would make the coin successful. Four things came to the fore.

1. The coin needed to be smaller in size than the silver dollars that had been issued previously. The public found the large coins unwieldy and inconvenient and preferred a coin that they could more easily handle.

2. The new dollar needed to be a different color from the quarter so that it would not be easily confused with the quarter.

3. The new dollar needed to have a distinctive edge or shape to prevent it from being confused with the quarter.

4. The Tresasury Department needed to vigorously promote the new dollar. The coin was something dramatically different from the coin it replaced. Breaking habits and changing people's tastes takes time and effort...marketing.


The first of the public's concerns was addressed. The coin was decidedly smaller than the Eisenhower Dollar it replaced. Whereas the "Ike" had a diameter of 38.1 millimeters, the S.B.A. had a diameter of only 26.5. The Ike weighed in at a hefty 22.68 grams, the S.B.A. was reduced to 8.1 grams. Both of these were substantial reductions in size, which is what the public wanted.

The concern that the public would confuse the coin with the quarter, however, was not given sufficient thought. The 2.2 millimeter difference between the S.B.A. and the quarter (24.26 mm) was not enough for the public to feel comfortable with the coin. The quarter was also lighter, weighing 5.67 grams, but the public did not see the difference as enough to be noticed when they handled the coin hurriedly or in the dark. The silver color did not do anything to help people distinguish it from a quarter. And the etched hendexagon was not seen as sufficient to distinguish the coin from the quarter. Interestingly, the coin had originally been designed as an eleven sided coin, not round. The vending industry objected vehemently, saying that the odd shape would jam the machines, and the US Mint gave in.

The public also did not like the portrait of Anthony which was used. They simply did not find the design attractive. In fact, a "prettified" (Treasury's term according to Philip Diehl, former director of the Mint--not mine) portrait was suggested by the US Mint, but Treasury stated that they could only find photographs of Anthony in which she looked stern. They indicated that the stern countenance was Anthony's means of portraying an image she hoped the people would take seriously. It may have worked for the woman, but on the coin the look was disastrous.

The result: The public truly disliked the new coin, and rejected it emphatically. People refused to take them in change. Shopkeepers were reluctant to take the coin as payment. The mint finally decided to cease producing the coin, but the coin was so disdained that large numbers of Susan B. Anthony Dollars remained in the US Mint's inventory long after they stopped producing it.

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