By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….
The 1977 Eisenhower Dollar – Apollo 11 Reverse Resumed
With America’s Bicentennial celebrations in the rearview mirror, the quarter dollar, half dollar, and dollar reverse designs reverted to their regular designs. For the 1977 Eisenhower Dollar, that meant the return of United States Mint Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro’s sculptural rendition of Michael Collins’ Apollo 11 mission patch.
While most people associate NASA and the moon missions with President Kennedy (and rightly so), it was President Dwight D. Eisenhower who signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law in 1958. Eisenhower was a strong supporter of America’s space program and accelerated the government’s spending on programs, such as the Saturn rocket. Eisenhower died on March 28, 1969, nearly four months before the Apollo 11 moon landing captivated the entire world.
In that context, Gasparro’s Eisenhower dollar obverse and reverse design make sense together. This was indeed the legacy this great man left a grateful nation. The final moon landing took place in the second year of the Eisenhower dollar’s production. Americans didn’t know it, but it would be 50 years and counting before humanity set its sights on walking on the lunar surface again.
1977 was not a year without a major space achievement, however. In 1977, the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft launched, putting in motion an odyssey of human space exploration to the farthest reaches of our solar system.
How Many 1977 Eisenhower Dollars Were Made and What Are They Worth?
Despite the Eisenhower dollar’s unsuitability for circulation, the Philadelphia Mint struck 12,596,000 coins in 1977. Of that total, 2,006,869 were packaged in the annual Mint Set. In Uncirculated condition, the 1977 Eisenhower Dollar has a retail value of about $3.00 – $4.00.
Certified examples in high grade can carry a significant premium. Considering that the typical Mint Set Uncirculated example has grade-limiting dings and scratches, finding an example of sufficient quality to justify certification is unlikely without examining dozens, if not hundreds, of Mint Sets. The typical grade of a Mint Set coin is MS63.
Terminal Grade for certified coins is MS65, with the typical MS65 example selling at or below the cost of certification. In MS66, the 1977 retails for between $55 and $70 depending on quality. The top certified grade for this issue is MS67. MS67 coins come in a wide range of quality, and this date is plagued with coins that were bulk-graded at this level several years ago. These examples tend to be of poor quality for the date and will not CAC. A CAC-quality 1977 can sell for more than $2,000 with superlative toning and clean surfaces.
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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS MS68 (1, 6/2024), NGC MS67 (44, 6/2024), and CAC MS67 (6:1 stickered:graded, 6/2024).
- PCGS MS67 CAC #37711496: Heritage, June 9, 2019, Lot 7759 – $2,160.
- PCGS MS67 CAC #82601206: Heritage, February 17, 2017, Lot 4782 – $1,821.25.
- PCGS MS67 CAC #25662045: Heritage, March 4, 2016, Lot 4370 – $3,055. According to Heritage, only MS67 CAC Ike at time of auction.
- NGC MS67 #6697141-009: GreatCollections, June 30, 2024 – View.
- NGC MS67 #2540070-004: “The Pittstown Collection,” Stack’s Bowers, April 1, 2021, Lot 11430 – $3,600.
- NGC MS67 #5744323-006: Heritage, April 15, 2020, Lot 25405 – $870.
- NGC MS67 #4839719-004: Heritage, December 4, 2019, Lot 21436 – $1,500.
- PCGS MS67 #37004353: Heritage, August 18, 2019, Lot 7584 – $1,440.
- PCGS MS67 #37000252: Legend Rare Coin Auctions, June 27, 2019, Lot 426 – $1,175.
- PCGS MS67 #83144228: Heritage, July 9, 2017, Lot 23441 – $851.88.
- PCGS MS67 #81631712: Heritage, October 4, 2016, Lot 4444 – $1,527.50.
- PCGS MS67 #15339141: “Sonoran Monsoon Collection,” Heritage, January 8, 2016, Lot 6226 – $2,232.50. Sonoran Monsoon on label.
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Design
Obverse:
Gasparro’s portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower (as president); Eisenhower facing to the left. Gasparro’s initials FG appear raised in the bust truncation. Beneath Eisenhower’s chin to the left is the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The word LIBERTY wraps around the top of the coin in the space between the rim and the top of Eisenhower’s head. The date wraps around the bottom of the design, between the rim and the bottom of Eisenhower’s bust truncation.
Reverse:
