1978 Dollar Coin Value: Errors List, “D”, “S” & No Mint Mark Worth

1978 Dollar value ranges from $1.00 face value to $8,750. That record was set by a Grade 67 Denver-minted example sold on eBay in January 2022. Upload a photo of yours below for a quick value range. Then scroll down to check recent eBay sales and see what your coin could sell for today.

 

1978 Dollar Value By Variety

Also Read: Eisenhower Dollar Value (1971-1978)

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1978 Dollar Worth Money

Condition drives everything here — not mintage. The 1978-D MS67 sits at the top at $8,750, and there’s a good reason. Only 17 PCGS-certified and 31 NGC-certified examples exist at that grade as of early 2025. That’s a tiny club. The all-time record for a 1978 Philadelphia dollar (no mint mark) was set on February 25, 2024 at GreatCollections, when an NGC MS67+ specimen sold for $10,406.25 — a price that CoinWeek editors noted may be the record for any 1978 Ike without confirmed private sales for comparison.

In the MS62–MS65 range, prices run from $2,185 to $3,004. Still serious money, but reachable for most collectors. MS66 examples sit around $900 — not bad for a coin you can still occasionally find in a junk bin. The 1978-S David Hall Signature PR70 DCAM at $750 shows what a big-name signature label can do for a proof coin’s market appeal.

Why are so few high-grade survivors out there? Bag marks. These coins are huge and heavy. When the Mint shipped them in canvas bags, they beat each other up. Finding one that survived that trip without nicks is the real challenge.

 

History of The 1978 Dollar

The 1978 Eisenhower Dollar was the last of its kind — the final year for the first dollar coin series struck since the Peace Dollar ended in 1935. Congress authorized the coin after President Eisenhower’s death in March 1969, honoring the five-star general who led Allied forces in World War II and served two presidential terms from 1953 to 1961.

Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro designed both sides. The obverse portrait came from his sketch at a 1945 victory parade. The reverse eagle-on-the-moon design, adapted from astronaut Michael Collins’ Apollo 11 mission patch, returned in 1977 after the Bicentennial celebration used Dennis R. Williams’ special reverse from 1775–1976.

Don’t let the silver look fool you. The Coinage Act of 1965 pulled silver from circulating coins, and the 1978 issue is pure copper clad in 75% copper and 25% nickel. The nickel gives it that silvery color. San Francisco did strike 40% silver versions from 1971–1974, but everything from 1977 onward was base metal only.

Here’s a fun detail: the Ike dollar and the Susan B. Anthony dollar were actually struck at the same time. Congress held hearings throughout 1978 on replacing the big Ike with a smaller coin. President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation on October 10, 1978. The first Susan B. Anthony Dollar was struck on December 13, 1978 — meaning both coins were produced concurrently for just over two weeks before Eisenhower dollar production ended on December 31, 1978.

Also Read: Top 100 Rarest Silver Dollar Coins Worth Money (Most Expensive)

 

Is Your 1978 Dollar Rare?

With over 58 million business strikes across two mints, the 1978 Ike is common in circulated grades. The rarity kicks in at MS66 and above. PCGS has slabbed only 17 Philadelphia coins and 17 Denver coins at MS67 — out of tens of millions minted. That’s a completely different kind of rare. If your coin looks absolutely pristine with clean fields and sharp hair detail, it’s worth a closer look. Use the Coin Identifier and Value App to instantly assess your coin’s rarity and potential value.

 

Key Features of The 1978 Dollar

Here’s what to look for when you’re examining a 1978 Eisenhower Dollar.

The Obverse Of 1978 Dollar

Flip the coin to the portrait side. You’ll see Eisenhower’s left-facing profile, designed by Frank Gasparro. Look at the bust truncation — you’ll spot Gasparro’s initials “FG” raised right there. New collectors sometimes mistake this for an error. It’s not.

“LIBERTY” curves along the upper edge. “IN GOD WE TRUST” sits in smaller letters to the left of the portrait. The date “1978” appears below Eisenhower’s neck. Look just above the date for the mint mark — “D” for Denver, “S” for San Francisco proofs. No letter? That’s Philadelphia. One thing worth noting: on Eisenhower Dollars, mint marks were hand-punched, so the exact position and angle can vary slightly from coin to coin.

The Reverse Of 1978 Dollar

Turn it over. The eagle is descending onto the lunar surface, clutching an olive branch — the Apollo 11 moon landing captured in metal. This design comes from astronaut Michael Collins’ original mission insignia.

Earth floats in the distance above the eagle. Thirteen stars ring the design for the original colonies. “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” curves along the top, “ONE DOLLAR” along the bottom. “E PLURIBUS UNUM” runs on two horizontal lines above the eagle.

Other Features Of 1978 Dollar

The coin measures 38.5 millimeters in diameter and weighs 22.68 grams. It’s a pure copper core clad in 75% copper and 25% nickel. Count the edge reeds if you’re patient — there are 198 of them. The coin matches the size of traditional silver dollars but is slightly lighter than the 24.6-gram 40% silver Eisenhower dollars from 1971–1974. That weight difference is the easiest way to test for silver content.

 

1978 Dollar Mintage & Survival Data

Denver led the way with 33,012,890 coins. Philadelphia followed with 25,702,000 business strikes. San Francisco made 3,127,781 proof specimens strictly for collectors.

Want a cheap shot at a gem? Look for the 1978 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set. The Mint sold 2,006,869 of them at $7 each. They contain one example of every circulating coin from Philadelphia and Denver. Today they trade for around $15, and you’ll occasionally pull a coin with strong luster and clean surfaces from one.

A big supply event hit the market in 2011 when Littleton Coin Company marketed a 223,000-coin Eisenhower Dollar hoard discovered in a Montana bank vault — dubbed “The Big Sky Hoard.” Plenty of 1978-D dollars turned up. But none graded high enough to move the needle at MS67.

Both Philadelphia and Denver business strikes show remarkable survival rates — 99.80% and 99.66% respectively. Most people just saved these rather than spending them. San Francisco proofs sit at 81% survival, dragged down by packaging degradation and poor storage over the decades.

Also Read: Top 40+ Most Valuable Presidential Dollar Coins Worth Money

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1978 Dollar Value

A single grade point can mean thousands of dollars on these coins. You don’t need to pay for professional grading just to get a ballpark.

Try the Coin Identifier and Value App — it gives you value estimates, grade assessments, and error detection right from your phone in seconds.

 

1978 Dollar Value Guides

Three mints, three varieties, three different value stories:

• 1978 No Mint Mark (Philadelphia)
• 1978-D (Denver)
• 1978-S (San Francisco Proof)

Philadelphia struck over 25.7 million business strikes without mint marks. Denver produced the most at 33 million with a “D” mark. San Francisco made only proofs — 3.1 million coins marked “S.” Each variety behaves differently in the market depending on grade.

 

1978 No Mint Mark Dollar Value

Most people assume the Philadelphia Ike is the common one. It is — until you start looking for gems. With 25,702,000 struck, it’s the second-highest mintage of the three 1978 varieties, but finding one that grades MS66 or better is a real hunt.

Look above the date on the obverse. No letter there? That’s your Philadelphia coin. These typically show average strike quality. You’ll often see weak detail on Eisenhower’s hair and the eagle’s feathers — something registry set collectors care about a lot. Circulated examples trade near face value. The money is in uncirculated pieces at MS65 and above.

The PCGS population at MS67 has grown from 14 to 17 examples since August 2024. NGC has certified three specimens at the superior MS67+ level — with one selling at GreatCollections on March 24, 2024 for $5,513.62. In MS66, both PCGS and NGC coins sell for approximately $80. At MS67, PCGS coins have realized $5,000–$6,000 in recent years.

Here’s how high-grade Philadelphia specimens have performed at auction over the past two decades.

Current market activity for this variety across different grade levels:

Market activity score: 61/100 as of Sep 2026 — up 3 points from Jun 2026. 12-month peak: 73 (Dec 2025).

 

1978-D Dollar Value

Here’s a question that trips people up: how can the highest-mintage 1978 variety also be the hardest to find in top grades? Denver struck 33,012,890 pieces — the fourth-highest Denver mintage in the entire eight-year Eisenhower series. The “D” mint mark sits above the date, just below Eisenhower’s neckline.

Yet PCGS lists only 17 examples at MS67 as of April 2025. NGC reports 31 at MS67. CAC has stickered just five. I think PCGS CoinFacts nails it when they call the 1978-D “possibly the scarcest coin in high uncirculated condition” in the entire Denver Eisenhower series. The record price came in January 2022 — a lightly toned MS67 sold on eBay for $8,750. More recently, a PCGS MS67 example (cert #49669127) sold at Stack’s Bowers on November 21, 2024 for $3,840.

Denver specimens generally show slightly better strike quality than Philadelphia coins, with more consistent detail in Eisenhower’s hair and the eagle’s talons. Circulated pieces? Face value. But the price explosion at MS66 and above tells you everything about condition rarity in this series.

Auction results for certified Denver specimens across various grades:

Trading patterns and collector demand for this high-mintage but conditionally scarce variety:

Market activity score: 76/100 as of Sep 2026 — up 23 points from Jun 2026. Currently at its 12-month peak.

 

1978-S DCAM Dollar Value

If you’re new to Ike dollars and want something stunning without spending a fortune, start here. A PR69 DCAM runs about $30. That’s a near-perfect proof coin for the price of lunch.

San Francisco struck 3,127,781 proofs in 1978, all copper-nickel clad — no silver. The “S” mint mark appears above the date. These were sold in protective packaging as part of official proof sets, with mirror-like fields and frosted design elements.

What does DCAM mean? Deep Cameo. Picture a frosted glass window with a black mirror behind it. That sharp contrast between the brilliant white frost on Eisenhower’s portrait and the deeply mirrored background fields is what earns the DCAM designation — the most desirable proof finish. We think these are among the best entry points for new Eisenhower collectors. The catch is PR70 DCAM. Perfect surfaces with optimal cameo contrast? That commands a real premium.

Price trends for certified proof specimens across different grade designations:

Collector activity and transaction frequency for these proof coins:

Market activity score: 76/100 as of Sep 2026 — up 23 points from Jun 2026. Currently at its 12-month peak.

Also Read: 17 Rare Dollar Coin Errors List with Pictures (By Year)

 

Rare 1978 Dollar Error List

Millions of 1978 Ike dollars rolled off the presses, and some came out wrong. Those mistakes are worth real money. Here are the errors you should be cherrypicking for.

1. 1978 Dollar Off-Center Strike

When the blank planchet doesn’t line up properly with the dies, you get a coin with part of the design missing and bare metal showing on one edge. The further off-center, the more it’s worth.

A 1978 Eisenhower Dollar struck 10% off-center and graded MS67 sold at Heritage Auctions for $2,000 in 2017. Heritage noted this was one of only a handful of 1978 off-center Ike errors certified by NGC at that grade. Most off-center 1978 dollars fall in the $300 to $800 range. The sweet spot for collectors? About 50% off-center with a complete, readable date still visible.

2. 1978 Dollar Defective Planchet

You’ll spot this one fast. Instead of the expected silver tone, the obverse shows a reddish-brown copper color where the cladding failed to bond to the copper core during planchet preparation.

Detail loss is common, especially on Eisenhower’s portrait where features look weak or incomplete. A documented 1978 Philadelphia example graded MS63 by PCGS sold at auction for over $700 — nearly 30 times what a normal MS63 brings. The dramatic visual difference makes these easy to identify even raw.

3. 1978 Dollar Brockage Error

This is one of the wildest-looking errors you’ll ever see. A previously struck coin sticks to one of the dies. The next planchet gets struck and receives a sunken, mirror-image impression of the stuck coin instead of the normal design.

A 1978 Philadelphia dollar with a 10% partial brockage was graded MS64 by PCGS and sold at auction for $745. The brockage impression appeared on the obverse — a ghostly backward version of a normal coin pressed into the surface. Extremely rare in the Eisenhower series.

4. 1978 Dollar Multiple Strike Error

Don’t confuse these with doubled dies. A doubled die is a problem with the die itself — every coin it strikes shows the same doubling. A multiple strike happens when one individual coin fails to eject and gets hit by the dies again. Each one is unique.

Multiple-strike 1978 dollar errors are extremely rare and worth more than $1,000 depending on severity. Because no two look alike, they’re especially appealing to error collectors who want something truly one-of-a-kind.

 

1978 Dollar Market Trend

Market interest: 14,360 collectors tracking this coin as of Sep 2026 — up 900 from Mar 2026. Currently at its 12-month peak.

*Market Trend Chart showing the number of people paying attention to this coin.

 

Where To Sell Your 1978 Dollar?

Once you’ve determined your coin’s value and condition, selecting the right selling platform becomes crucial to maximizing your return, with options ranging from online marketplaces and auction houses to local coin dealers and direct collector sales.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

 

FAQ About 1978 Dollar Value

1. Is a 1978 silver dollar real silver?

No. The silver color comes from the nickel in the cladding — 75% copper, 25% nickel over a pure copper core. San Francisco struck 40% silver Eisenhower dollars from 1971 to 1974, but all 1978 dollars are base metal clad. Quick test: silver versions weigh 24.6 grams, clad versions weigh 22.68 grams. You can also check the edge — clad coins show a visible copper-colored stripe where the cladding meets the core.

2. How rare is a 1978 dollar coin?

In circulated grades? Not rare at all — over 58 million business strikes were minted across Philadelphia and Denver. But condition rarity is real. PCGS has certified only 17 coins at MS67 for Philadelphia and 17 for Denver as of early 2025. Anything graded MS67 is genuinely scarce.

3. What is the highest price ever paid for a 1978 Eisenhower Dollar?

The highest confirmed public sale was $10,406.25 at GreatCollections on February 25, 2024, for an NGC MS67+ Philadelphia example. For the Denver issue, a lightly toned MS67 sold for $8,750 on eBay in January 2022. Private transactions may have gone higher, but those aren’t on the public record.

4. What does DCAM mean on a 1978-S proof dollar?

Deep Cameo. The raised design elements show brilliant white frost while the background fields are deeply mirrored like black glass. That sharp contrast is what makes DCAM coins so visually striking. Standard Cameo (CAM) means the contrast exists but is less pronounced. Only the finest proofs earn DCAM from PCGS or NGC.

5. How do I tell if my 1978 dollar came from a Mint Set?

The 1978 Mint Uncirculated Coin Set included one dollar from Philadelphia and one from Denver. Set coins tend to have slightly better strikes than bag-released coins but still often show light bag marks. The sets sold for $7 originally and trade for around $15 today. Keep the original envelope and documentation — removing a coin from its packaging costs you some premium.

6. Why is the 1978-D dollar scarcer than the 1978 Philadelphia dollar in high grades?

Classic conditional rarity. Denver struck more coins, yet PCGS CoinFacts calls the 1978-D possibly the toughest Denver Eisenhower dollar to find in MS67. Nobody fully understands why, but Denver’s 1978 production seems to have produced more coins with surface marks and slightly weaker strikes than expected. The result: fewer gem survivors.

7. What is the “Big Sky Hoard” and does it affect 1978 dollar values?

A 223,000-coin Eisenhower dollar cache found in a Montana bank vault, marketed by Littleton Coin Company in 2011. Lots of 1978-D dollars turned up. It boosted supply of mid-grade uncirculated coins but didn’t touch MS67 values — none of the hoard coins graded that high. If you’re shopping for MS66 and below, the added supply from this hoard works in your favor.

8. Is a 1978 Eisenhower dollar worth getting professionally graded?

Only if you think it grades MS66 or higher. The jump from MS65 (around $18–$26) to MS66 (around $80–$150) is meaningful, but grading fees run $30–$50 or more. For potential MS67 coins, certification is essential — a raw coin you believe is MS67 will sell at a big discount versus a slabbed one. Any suspected error coin is also worth submitting.

9. Can I still find a 1978 Eisenhower dollar in circulation today?

Possible but unlikely. Larger bank branches occasionally have a few. Circulated examples show wear and are worth face value. Your best sources for uncirculated pieces today are coin dealers, Heritage Auctions, GreatCollections, and 1978 Mint Uncirculated Sets that surface from old collections. Only uncirculated specimens with no wear carry a meaningful premium.

10. What errors should I specifically look for on a 1978 dollar?

Four main ones: (1) Off-center strikes — design shifted with blank metal on one edge, worth $300 to $2,000+ depending on severity and grade; (2) Defective planchet errors — copper-toned obverse where the cladding failed to bond, worth $700+ even in MS63; (3) Brockage errors — mirror-image ghostly impression from a previously struck coin, worth $700–$1,000 in mid grades; (4) Multiple-strike errors — coin struck more than once, extremely rare and worth $1,000+. Get any suspected error authenticated by PCGS or NGC before assuming significant value.