1972 Silver Dollar – Learn the Value of This Coin

Do you know how much a 1972 Ike Dollar can be worth?

The 1972 Eisenhower silver dollars have value as both numismatic coins and as silver bullion. In this article we tell you about the different mintages of the 1972 Ike Dollar in order to give you an estimated value for each of them.

1972 Silver Dollar Value Chart

Coleccionistasdemonedas.com Estimated Value of 1972 Silver Dollar is:

To do this we tell you in a simple way some key aspects of the 1972 silver dollar (with eagle on back) as:

• Which mints are relevant and how many pieces were produced by each of them,
• How to distinguish the mint mark,
• What types of 1972 Ike Dollars exist and
• If 1972 Ike Dollars with silver content were issued.

What type is your “Ike” dollar from 1972?

The 1972 Ike Dollar was minted at three U.S. mints: Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. To find out where a 1972 Eisenhower Dollar was minted, we only need to look at the initial under the President’s bust on the obverse.

If this initial is a D it corresponds to the Denver mint and if it is an S it was produced in San Francisco (the only one that minted with 40% silver). If on the other hand it does not have any letter, it corresponds to the Philadelphia mint.

The units produced at each of the three mints were as follows:

• Philadelphia: 75,890,000 units
• Denver: 92,548,511 units
• San Francisco: 2,193,056 specimens and 1,811,631 Proof specimens, all with silver content.

The characteristics of the 1972 Ike Dollars minted at these mints are as follows:

What is the maximum value that a 1972 Eisenhower dollar can reach?

Thus, we must differentiate 6 different types of 1972 Ike Dollars manufactured. Three of them were minted in Philadelphia (1972 Ike Dollar Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3), one in Denver and two in San Francisco.

These two types of San Francisco (one for circulation and one proof) were the only ones containing silver.

This will depend on the mint, type and material of which they are made.

Thus, with respect to the types manufactured in Philadelphia their difference lies in the reverses used for the manufacture of the 1972 Ike Dollar. The main difference lies in the countries shown in the outline of the Earth on the reverse. Some of these countries are: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The types are explained below with the help of the photo below for a better understanding.

What is a 1972 Type 1/2/3 dollar?

On the 1972 Ike Dollar Type 1, the position of the island of Jamaica relative to Florida, the shape of the Florida peninsula and the low relief resulting from a smooth mintage, probably motivated the modification of the reverse design.

In Type 2 the Florida is more triangle-shaped than anything else. This type is the rarest of the three.

Type 3 best represents the geography and shapes of Florida, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

TOP 4 – The 1972 highest priced dollars

#4 1972 Eisenhower Dollar Type 3 – MS66 $4,700

The reverse of the Type 3 is perhaps the best and most reliable of all, perhaps that is why it was the last and final one.

It is not as scarce as the previous ones, although it is not easy to find in higher grades. Thus it can be found in MS grades for less than $100.

However, the value of the 1972 Ike Dollar in MS66 grade is very valuable, reaching $4,700 at auction in 2014. This same specimen in the previous year, 2013, reached $2,233, less than half its value a year later.

#3 1972 Eisenhower Dollar Type 1 – MS66 $5,170

In XF-AU grades the 1972 Ike Dollar Type 1 moves in a price range of $1 to $15. From an MS grade its prices can be between $20 and the $5,170 reached by an MS66 specimen in 2016.

In these MS66 grades you can see prices between $1,520 and $5,170 mentioned above. If we review auctions of MS65 grades the prices drop significantly between $47 and $94.

#2 1972 Ike Dollar Denver – MS67 $9,775

In grades below MS65 the 1972 Ike Dollar Denver can easily be found from $1 (for lower grades XF-AU) up to $50 in MS65.

For MS66, MS66+ and MS67 grades its value rises from $100 to the high of $9,775 that closed on an MS67 specimen in 2011.

Prices at MS67 range from $1,500 to $4,000 (not including the top price of the above-mentioned specimen), with two specimens having been auctioned in 2020 for $2,640 and $4,080.

#1 1972 Ike Dollar Type 2 – MS66 $9,988

This type is the rarest and scarcest of the three 1972 Ike Dollar types of the Philadelphia mint and this may be due to the fact that only one reverse die was used for manufacture, later replaced by the type 3 die.

Therefore, in MS graduations the Type 2 is valued at hundreds of dollars but in MS65+ (only 5 PCGS specimens) or MS66 (8 specimens) its price reaches thousands of dollars.

In 2016 two 1972 Ike Dollar specimens in MS66 were auctioned fetching their prices $9,988 and $7,638.

This past year an MS65+ specimen reached $1,800. And between 2020 and 2021 several specimens in MS65 grade closed between $720 and $1,920.

How Much Is a 1972 Eisenhower Silver Dollar Worth?

The 1972 Ike Silver Dollars were only produced at the San Francisco mint in Regular Strike and Proof grades.

The number of 1972 Ike Silver Dollar regular units was 2,193,056 and in proof grades only 1,811,631 were produced.

It’s very important to know that the specimens that still have the heat-sealed closure intact have a premium valuation in the market.

The diameter of these silver units was the same as the 1972 Ike Dollar Clad Coveted. That was the only similarity they had as the weight of the 1972 Ike Silver Dollar was 24.60 g (versus 22.70 g for the clad) and their composition was a core of 79% copper and 21% silver and a clad of 80% silver and 20% copper. In other words, they possessed a 40% silver content.

Both 1972 Ike Silver Dollar mintages were presented in different colored cases to differentiate them. Thus the 1972 Ike Silver Dollar uncirculated issues were presented in blue cases, hence they are also known as “Blue Pack Ikes” or “Blue Ikes”.

Proof quality silver specimens were presented in brown cases and were known as “Brown Pack Ikes” or “Brown Ikes”.

These cases were sealed by the Government to be sold to collectors, however many of the cases were broken in order to place the coins in albums.

1972 Silver Dollar Regular Strike – MS69 $3,680

In high grades the 1972 Ike Silver Dollar or 1972 Bue Ike has moved at auction in the $2,200 to $3,680 price range for MS69 examples.

In MS68+ graduation, the auction auctions are considerably reduced, so we see specimens between $432 and $793.

Last year saw MS68 graded specimens sold at auction in the $104 to $192 range. And also 1972 Blue Ikes in MS67 with prices ranging from $35 to $66.

1972 Silver Dollar Proof – PR70 DCAM $2,820

We are talking about three finishes or classifications within the 1972 Ike Silver Dollars Proof in terms of Proof, Cam or DCam.

In low graduations there are no differences and their prices range from $6 to $10. For medium graduations from $12 to $75. Thus, a 1972 Ike Silver Dollar PR70 can be found for less than $200 while a PR70 Cam can reach $300.

In 2013 a 1972 Ike Silver Dollar PR70 DCam specimen fetched $2,820, and other specimens we have reviewed in identical grade have not dropped below $2,000.

From the above we could deduce that 1972 Ike Dollars in low-medium grades are easy to find and with valuations under $50. In medium-high grades you can find specimens from $50 to $200 and for MS66 or higher grades their price skyrockets to a few thousand dollars, depending on the type and mint.

We can also conclude that the 1972 Ike Dollars with silver content (those manufactured in San Francisco) are not always the most valuable or scarce, far from it. However, those specimens that still have their original presentation, blue or brown pack, unopened, will always have a premium.

References and sources

• Heritage Auctions
• NGC Coins
• The Official Red book 2023: A Guide Book of United States Coins.

Rafa Sánchez

Numismatic collector with a passion for history, particularly Spanish history.
I have a degree in Business Administration and Management and numismatics studies at the University of Murcia (Spain).