12 Most Valuable Susan B Anthony Coin Worth Money (With Pictures)

Are you interested in collecting Susan B Anthony dollars and wondering how much these coins are worth?

Not many collectors are interested in this small yet highly controversial coin. Most examples are worth more or less their face value, but there are a few rare gems worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

In this guide, we’ve researched the most valuable Susan B Anthony coins. Whether you are a veteran collector or a new hobbyist, knowing which coins are worth money can save you time and help you make smart decisions when selling or buying.

So, without further ado, let’s find out what is the most valuable Anthony coin.

A Brief History of The Susan B Anthony Dollar

Susan B Anthony is one of our country’s greatest icons despite the controversy surrounding her and her inclusion on a circulating coin.

Anthony was born in 1820 in Massachusetts into a family of activists. She began social justice activism as young as 17 years old.

Anthony is well known and celebrated for her commitment and consistency in campaigning to abolish slavery.

She was also at the front line in campaigning for women’s well-being, especially in households where husbands were alcohol-dependent and abusive to their spouses.

Finally, Anthony was critical in pushing the needle forward concerning women’s suffrage, the right to vote, and equal treatment.

As a young activist, Anthony registered herself and even lined up to vote despite it being against the law. She was arrested and asked to pay a fine of $100, but after her famous speech on equality and freedom, she eventually did not pay the fine.

Anthony died in 1906, about a decade before women were finally allowed to vote. Although she was not there to witness this iconic moment, she definitely played a critical role in agitating for the right to vote, a right that we probably take for granted today.

The Mint began striking Susan B. Anthony dollars in 1979 to replace the unpopular Eisenhower dollars. Anthony made history as the first real woman to appear on the face of an American circulating. Despite wide marketing and promotion of the coin, the new Anthony dollar remained as unpopular as its predecessor.

The Mint struck circulation Anthony Dollars from 1979 to 1980. In 1981, the Mint stopped producing these coins, instead opting only to strike proofs for collectors.

Owing to their unpopularity, no more Anthony dollars were struck again until 1999 and only at the Denver and Philadelphia mints. Even after a two-decade hiatus, demand for the one-dollar coin had not improved, making 1999 the last year the Susan B Anthony coin was struck.

Let us now look at the most valuable Susan B Anthony coin.

Most Valuable Susan B Anthony Coin Worth Money

1. 1979-S Proof Type 1

In the first year of issue, all three mints in Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco produced the new Susan B Anthony dollar.

As is customary, the San Francisco mint struck proof coins for collectors, producing about 3,677,175. These coins are identifiable by the S mint mark on the obverse, but the mint mark is clearer on some coins than on others.

Proof coins in which the S mint mark is blurry are known as Type 1, while those with a clear S mint mark are known as Type 2.

The most expensive example of a 1979-S Proof Type 1 was graded PF70, extremely rare and sold for $720 at a 2001 Heritage auction.

2. 1979-S Proof Type 2

The Type 2 variety of the 1979- S proof coin features a clearer, more illegible S mint mark, which adds to the coin’s value.

Given the low demand for SBA dollars, not many collectors hurried to buy proofs, as expected with other proof issues. As such, it is to find proof coins in untouched gem condition. The upside is that these shiny untouched coins can be worth some good money.

A deep cameo example graded MS70 was auctioned in 2007, fetching an impressive $1,955.

3. 1979-P Wide Rim Variety

Toward the end of 1979, the Mint redesigned the Susie B dollar to improve the coin’s appearance by widening the distance between the date and the coin’s rim.

The Narrow Rim was the initial variety or the coin’s initial style, and most of the 1979 SBA dollars are designed this way.

Only about 20% of the dollar population struck in 1979 actually features the wide-rim variety. Because they are scarcer, wide-rim Susie B dollars tend to fetch more.

The most expensive example, graded MS67, fetched an impressive $6,995 at an eBay auction in 2021.

4. 1981-S Proof Type 2

The 1981 Susie B proofs struck at the San Francisco mint come in two types: 1 and 2, based on the clarity of the S mint mark.

The Mint used the 1979-S Type 2 dies to strike 1980-S and 1981-S proofs. However, toward the end of 1981, the dies had become worn out and had to be replaced. The new die was used to punch 1981-S proofs for the remaining year; the new dies struck a more distinct and clearer S mint mark.

This resulted in the two types of 1981-S proof coins, with Type 2 being the scarcer of the two varieties. A Type 2 specimen graded MS68 was auctioned and fetched a whopping $4,600.

5. 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollars

The 1979-P SBA dollars were the first to be minted, with the Mint producing more than 600 million circulation pieces, making these coins extremely common in circulated condition.

On the other hand, finding uncirculated coins is much harder, given that most of these coins were kept in the Mint’s vaults while others were hoarded in large amounts, removing most of these coins from circulation.

Coins in higher mint states are remarkably difficult to obtain. Some examples graded MS66 are available, but the population reduces as you go further up the scale.

A specimen came up for auction in 2014. It was graded MS65 and was sold for $3,819.

6. 1999-D SBA Dollar Struck on a Sacagawea Planchet

After production of the Susie B dollars ceased in 1999, the Mint moved on and began striking Sacagawea coins promoting Native American culture and its various facets.

It is possible and common for planchets to be left over from the previous coinage, which was the case with the Anthony dollar struck on a Sacagawea dollar planchet.

This error coin is among the most fascinating in the series and is highly sought after. Being an error coin, only a few were struck before Mint workers realized the error.

One such example was authenticated and designated grade MS65. The error raked in a neat $7,763.

7. 1979-D Regular Strike

In 1979, the Denver mint struck more than 300 million Susie B dollars anticipating high demand for these new, history-making coins.

The high mintage makes the 1979-D regular strike variety quite common in circulated condition. However, these coins can also be difficult to access in mint state, but on the upside, they can fetch some good money.

If you want to collect these coins, focus your time and effort on looking for coins in mint state with a higher rating; these will give you more value for money.

For example, a rare specimen graded MS68 came up for auction and was sold for $1,528, which is many times the coin’s face value.

8. 1979-S Regular Strike

The 1979-S regular strike is one of the series’s most expensive Susie B dollar coins. As the flagship coinage, many pieces were hoarded and taken out of circulation, making it difficult to obtain uncirculated examples in higher mint states. For example, fewer than 300 known examples exist in grade MS67, and even fewer are available in grade MS68 and above.

The Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) graded the most valuable example as GENUINE and was auctioned for $15,000 on eBay.

9. 1979-P Susan B. Anthony Dollar Overstruck on a 1978 Jefferson Nickel, NGC MS67

Aside from the interesting Susan B dollar struck on a Sacagawea planchet, another interesting error is that an SBA dollar from the Philadelphia mint was struck on a Jefferson nickel dated 1978.

The Monticello appears vertically but slightly slanted across Susie B’s face on this error coin. Monticello’s dome also makes an impression on Susan’s nose.

There is only one example of the overstruck error known to exist, making this an extremely rare but equally valuable SBA dollar. This example fetched $15,275 at a 2014 auction.

10. 2000 Sacagawea Dollar on Susan B. Anthony Blank

This error occurred when Mint workers accidentally struck the design of the Sacagawea dollar on a Susan B plank planchet.

The Susie B planchet comprises an inner copper core and an outer alloy that combines nickel and copper.

This error may have occurred due to Susan B Anthony planchets being left in the hub, and then Sacagawea dies was installed without inspecting the hub before striking began.

Uncirculated examples of this error are extremely rare, with less than a dozen examples known to exist. One such example was auctioned in 2012, snagging a mind-boggling $16,450.

11. 1999-P SBA Dollar Struck on an Experimental Alloy

In a final bid to entice the public into embracing the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the Mint changed the coin’s alloy composition and gave it a goldish color.

Noble as this experiment was, the outcome was different than expected. The resulting coin lacked the detailed striking and luster the Mint had expected. On the contrary, details were blurry and even missing in some sports.

One would expect the Mint to discard unsuccessfully struck planchets, but this was not the case with this experimental alloy planchet; it survived!

Only two examples are known to exist, and the best part is that both have a mint state designation of MS65 and MS67, respectively.

The example graded MS65 came up for auction in 2013 and fetched a neat $10,500.

12. 1999-P SBA Dollar Regular Strike

In 1999, the Mint struck over 29 million regular circulation strike Susan B. dollars, making these coins very common.

Collectors probably got wind of the news that this would be the last year Susie B dollar would be struck and went into a hoarding spree.

Many of these coins were pulled out of circulation when they left the Mint, so uncirculated coins in this series are relatively easy to obtain.

The most expensive 1999-P SBA dollar was graded MS64 and sold for $16,000 at a Heritage auction in 2006. For mint state, examples have come up since, but none has fetched more than this.

Summary

Susan B Anthony coins are increasingly drawing the attention of collectors. Even though the Mint no longer strikes these interesting coins, you will still find them in circulation. Mint state examples in this series can be hard to find for dates 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1999 but the payout is worthwhile. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with common errors in the Susie B dollar series, as these can also be worth a fortune.