Originally, Gasparro designed a symbolic figure of Lady Liberty. The portrait is reminiscent of early copper cents, with Lady Liberty facing left and her hair flowing behind her. Unfortunately, Congress dictated that the coin was to feature woman’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony. Due to time constraints, Gasparro adopted the reverse design of the Eisenhower dollar to fit on the new smaller dollar instead of designing the new one. The new coin was very unpopular with the public. Previously, the Eisenhower dollar was 38.1 mm wide and weighed 22.68 g. The smaller Susan B. Anthony dollar was only 26.5 mm in diameter and weighed only 8.1 g. Therefore, a smaller coin was considered easier to carry and popular with the public. Unfortunately, it was often confused with the quarter dollar coin, which was 24.3 mm and weighed 5.6 g. Several varieties add to the excitement of collecting them. Two of them are pretty significant, and one of them usually sells for more than $100. Look for a thick rim where the date is very close (about the width of the numeral 1 in the date) to the rim. The United States Mint also produced special three-coin collector sets of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. Some of these sets have been known to contain the Near Date variety. This variety is the scarcer of the two and carries an additional premium reflected in the price and value of the coin. However, due to a lack of popularity amongst coin collectors, the Susan B. Anthony dollar is easy to acquire and very affordable. Therefore, the wide rim variety only carries a premium value in uncirculated condition. Circulated coins can be acquired for just a few dollars. The new mint mark punch was used on all six Proof coins produced in 1979. This includes the penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and one-dollar coin. Therefore, all six coins produced in 1979 have two varieties of mint marks. The Susan B. Anthony Type 2 Proof dollar is the most sought after and carries the most significant premium. This new mint mark die punch was also used on the Proof Penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and dollar coins. The Susan B. Anthony Type II dollar coin is the most sought after and carries the most significant numismatic premium of all the coins.
