The Ultimate 1978 Dollar Coin Value Guide (Some 1978 Eisenhower Dollars Are Worth $8,000!)

A 1978 Eisenhower dollar coin is worth more than face value.

How much more than face value?

First, it’s a matter of determining if you have one of the rare 1978 dollar coins or a more common one.

Second, the condition of your coin also plays a huge factor.

In this article, you will learn the current value of your 1978 Eisenhower dollar coins.

Fun Facts About The 1978 Dollar Coin

Fun Facts About The 1978 Dollar Coin

Eisenhower dollars were first struck in 1971, and they remained in production through 1978. Therefore, the Ike dollars we are talking about today are the last ones in the series.

Ike dollars honor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was an army general in World War II and served as a two-term president of the United States from 1953 through 1961. After he passed away in 1969 at the age of 78, Eisenhower was honored on the U.S. dollar coin.

Eisenhower’s portrait appears on the obverse (“heads side”). On the reverse (“tails side”) is the Apollo 11 insignia, which symbolizes the historic 1969 NASA mission that took men to the Moon for the first time. Frank Gasparro designed and engraved the coin, which has since become a popular collectible.

The 1978 Eisenhower dollar was produced as a circulating coin, though few saw much use beyond the casinos of Nevada. The U.S. Mint also struck a small number of 1978 Eisenhower dollars just for coin collectors. (More on this below.)

Is A 1978 Dollar Coin Rare?

In the absolute sense, the 1978 Ike dollar coin is not rare. It’s considered a common coin and is easily obtainable from coin dealers and many others who sell coins.

However, 1978 dollar coins (like most other Eisenhower dollars) are genuinely rare in higher states of preservation. For example, many would consider a 1978 dollar scarce in the grade of MS-65 and rare in grades of MS-66 or higher.

What Does The Little Letter Mean On A 1978 Dollar Coin?

If you see a little “D” or “S” by itself above the last two digits of the date and below Eisenhower’s neckline, then your coin has a mintmark. The mintmark (or lack of one) indicates where the coin was made:

• No mintmark on a 1978 dollar coin means that it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.
• A “D” mint mark means your Ike dollar was made at the Denver Mint.
• An “S” indicates that your Eisenhower dollar coin was made at the San Francisco Mint.

What Does A 1978 Dollar Coin Weigh?

A typical 1978 Eisenhower dollar coin weighs 22.68 grams.

Do you have a coin scale? Here are the best scales for weighing U.S. coins. (You might also want to grab a coin magnifier and a copy of the U.S. Coin Grading Standards book to help you determine the value of all your coins.)

If your 1978 Ike dollar weighs significantly less, it is most likely due to heavy wear or damage on the coin that has eroded away some of the metal.

A 1978 Ike dollar that weighs much more than 22.68 grams (say around 24.5 grams, for example) may have been struck on a 40% silver planchet. However, at this time, there are no known 1978 silver dollars or 1978 silver dollar errors.

How Much Is A 1978 Dollar Coin Worth?

Ready to find out how much your 1978 Eisenhower dollar is worth?

Let’s explore that now…

1978 Dollar Coin Value (No Mintmark: Philadelphia)

The 1978 dollar coin with no mint letter stamp (mintmark) was struck in copper-nickel clad at the Philadelphia Mint, which did not place mintmarks on the coins at that time. A total of 25,702,000 were struck.

Here’s how much they’re worth:

• A circulated 1978 no mintmark dollar coin is worth $1.05 to $1.20.
• An uncirculated 1978 no mintmark dollar coin is typically worth $3 to $7.
• The most valuable 1978 no mintmark dollar coin was graded MS67 by Professional Coin Grading Service and fetched $5,500 in a 2022 auction.

1978-D Dollar Coin Value (Denver)

The 1978 dollar coin with a “D” mint mark was struck in copper-nickel clad to the tune of 33,012,890 pieces.

Here’s how much they’re worth:

• A circulated 1978-D dollar coin is worth $1.05 to $1.20.
• An uncirculated 1978-D dollar coin is typically worth $3 to $7.
• The most valuable 1978-D dollar coin was graded MS67 by Professional Coin Grading Service and got $8,750 in a 2022 sale.

1978-S Dollar Coin Value (San Francisco)

The 1978-S proof dollar coin was made at the San Francisco Mint, where 3,127,781 were struck.

These Ike dollars were made just for collectors — they were never intended to be spent as money.

These copper-nickel clad dollar coins were struck with polished blanks that were struck by specially prepared dies on high-tonnage presses, producing a superb strike with impeccable detail.

Here’s how much they’re worth:

• A 1978-S proof dollar coin is usually worth $10 to $12.
• The most valuable 1978-S dollar coin was graded PR-68 DCAM by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold for $3,450 in 2005.

Rare 1978 Dollar Coin Errors To Look For

Hoping to score some big bucks from your 1978 Eisenhower dollars?

Good news… There are many types of 1978 dollar error and variety coins that you could actually find in your pocket change worth lots of money!

Here are a couple of 1978 error dollar coins that you should be looking for:

1978 Off-Center Dollar Coin Error

Find a 1978 dollar coin that’s missing some of its design due to being struck off-center?

Congratulations! Off-center Ike dollar coins are very hard to find.

Off-center 1978 dollar coin errors are worth $300 to $800. The price varies, depending on the condition of the coin and how much of the design is missing. The most valuable 1978 dollar error coins are missing about half of their design yet still show a complete date that’s entirely visible.

1978 Multiple-Struck Dollar Coin Error

Multiple-strike errors are different from doubled die errors.

Doubled dies are coins that were struck by a die whose image was impressed twice at slightly different positions or angles. Every coin produced by a doubled die will show that same variety.

However, multiple-struck coins are errors that are created at the moment the coin is struck. These occur sporadically and infrequently.

A multiple-strike 1978 dollar coin error is extremely rare and is worth more than $1,000.

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