The Eisenhower Commemorative silver dollar is a commemorative coin issued by the United States Mint in 1990 to commemorate the centennial of the birth of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The obverse of the coin was designed by Mint artist John Mercanti and depicts a dual portrait of Eisenhower as both a general and a president. The reverse of the coin was designed by Marcel Jovine, and depicts Eisenhower's retirement home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A surcharge was placed on the sale of the dollars to reduce the national debt.

The dollar coin was proposed by the Dwight David Eisenhower Society and legislation was introduced into Congress in 1987. After concerns were raised from the Mint over sales expectations and production demands, the bill was reintroduced with changes in 1988. After passing, the Mint held a competition among invited artists to create a design for the coin.

The uncirculated and proof dollar coins were struck at the West Point Mint and the Philadelphia Mint, respectively. The uncirculated dollar was the first silver coin struck at the West Mint Point. The coins became available for purchase in January 1990. The decision to commemorate Eisenhower only 12 years after the Eisenhower dollar ended production was questioned by numismatists. Collectors also criticized the depiction of Eisenhower's retirement home on the reverse. Since mintage ended the coin has been common and inexpensive to collect.

Background

Dwight David Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1915. During World War II, Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, and planned the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. He served as the president of Columbia University after the war, and was elected as the 34th President of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. Eisenhower died on March 28, 1969. He was depicted on the circulating Eisenhower dollar from 1971 to 1978. In 1990, the 100th year since Eisenhower's birth, centennial celebrations were held across the United States, including at his retirement home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Legislation

170px|thumb|left|Dwight D. Eisenhower

H.R. 3654, titled the "Dwight David Eisenhower Commemorative Coin Act of 1987," was introduced in the House of Representatives by William Goodling of Pennsylvania on November 18, 1987. Goodling stated that the coin was suggested by the Dwight David Eisenhower Society in Gettysburg, where Eisenhower's retirement home is located. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator John Heinz on December 19 but received no further attention.

As progress stalled on H.R. 3654, Senator Bob Dole added an amendment to another bill in the Senate authorizing the Congressional Bicentennial commemorative coins. The amendment authorized a coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of Eisenhower's birth, with a maximum mintage of 10 million. The Senate approved that bill with amendments by unanimous consent on June 15, 1988. However, the House approved the bill without the amendment, as the amendment lacked enough sponsors under House rules. The Senate approved the Congressional Bicentennial coins bill on July 12 without the amendment for the Eisenhower coin.

The Subcommittee discussed H.R. 3654 during a hearing on September 14. Annunzio commended Goodling for getting 251 sponsors on the bill, which received unanimous support from the subcommittee members, alongside Senator Dole and Representative Pat Roberts of Kansas. At the hearing, Mint Director Donna Pope raised concerns that the Mint would be unable to sell 10 million coins, and suggested that the mintage be lowered to 4 million and the surcharge be lowered from $9 to $7 to meet sales expectations. The Senate bill passed the same day. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law () on October 3, 1988.

Design

thumb|right|The Eisenhower house in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) suggested to Pope that the design for the coin should be selected from a competition of artists selected by the United States Mint. The Mint invited five artists, as well as their own sculptor-engravers, to submit designs, although one invited artist, William Woodward, did not submit any designs. Designs were submitted from Eugene Daub, Curtis Kauffmann, Patricia Lewis Verani and Marcel Jovine, as well as Mint employees Edgar Z. Steever IV, Maria Kirby-Smith, John Mercanti and Elizabeth Jones. Mint Director Donna Pope and Treasurer Katherine D. Ortega did not like any of the designs submitted by the Mint's own artists. After being asked by a collector if the coin would depict Eisenhower as a general or president, Pope thought depicting both would be fitting. Pope asked Mercanti to create a design featuring Eisenhower in both roles, which he sketched over a weekend.

The CFA was scheduled to discuss the designs on July 26, 1989, however, the Mint withdrew from the meeting for unknown reasons. Secretary of the Treasury Nicholas F. Brady approved Mercanti's design for the obverse and Jovine's design for the reverse on August 7, 1989. CFA member Diane Wolf was critical of the choice to approve designs before consulting the CFA. Brady claimed that he selected the final designs in consultation with the CFA and the Eisenhower family.

The obverse design from Mercanti depicts a right-facing Eisenhower profile as president superimposed over a left-facing Eisenhower profile as a five-star general. The inscription along the border of the coin reads with the dates 1890-1990 below the busts. In the left field, the mint mark appears under the word . In the right field, the motto In God We Trust| appears. Mercanti's initials JM appear on the presidential bust of Eisenhower, on the jacket near .

The reverse design from Jovine was modeled by Chester Young Martin. The design depicts Eisenhower's retirement home at Gettysburg, which he did not spend much time at.

Production and release

The uncirculated dollars were struck at the West Point Mint and proof dollars were struck at the Philadelphia Mint. It was the first time the West Point Mint had struck silver coins; this broke from the previous decade, where the West Point Mint only struck gold commemorative coins and proof coinage was struck at the San Francisco Mint. Numismatist Q. David Bowers notes that a mailing sent by the Mint in January 1990 advertised that the Philadelphia Mint and the Gettysburg home are both in Pennsylvania, and that Eisenhower attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

A launch ceremony for the coins was held in Gettysburg on January 16, 1990, where coins were presented to Treasurer Catalina Vasquez Villalpando and Goodling. The plaster casts used for the design were presented to Goodling, who subsequently gave them to the Gettysburg National Military Park. The Mint had begun accepting mail orders on January 15 and began shipping orders out on February 5. The coin could also be purchased through some retail stores, coin dealers, financial institutions, and a toll-free number connected to the Mint sales department. The proof and uncirculated strikes were sold individually; a proof coin was also included in the 1990 Prestige Proof Set. The coins were offered in dark green velvet cases. While originally stated to be only available during 1990, a Mint official stated they were still accepting orders on in March 1991.

Reception

thumb|right|The Eisenhower dollar, which had been struck as recently as 1978, had also commemorated Eisenhower

Many collectors questioned the need to commemorate Eisenhower on another dollar coin. In 1988, after legislation passed authorizing the coin, numismatic columnist Ed Reiter was critical of the coin noting that minting of the Eisenhower dollar only ended in 1978. Reiter also questioned the inclusion of Eisenhower's Gettysburg home, as it was "a building almost no one will recognize." After the coin's release, Reiter published several perspectives of the coin, including from former Leningrad Mint artist Alex Shagin and art historian Cornelius Vermeule. Shagin called the home a "shapeless, sloppy composition" and compared the dual portraits of Eisenhower to the Roman god Janus, while Vermeule praised the depiction of the home on the reverse and called the coin "innovative, imaginative, and very good." Reiter found the coin unsatisfactory and criticized the inclusion of the Eisenhower home as a requirement in the authorizing legislation, stating Goodling "handcuffed artists" from making a more creative design. Bowers notes that while the home on the reverse is called the , it is not distinguished that it was Eisenhower's retirement home rather than his birthplace.

In 2016, Bowers said that superb examples of the coin are common and inexpensive. Numismatist Anthony Swiatek, in his book on United States commemoratives, states that collectors should only obtain the coin "for the joy of ownership."

Sales and production figures

The coin was sold at pre-issue prices through February 28; afterwards, prices increased. The Mint announced on March 21 that over one million silver dollars were sold. A total mintage of 1,144,461 proof coins were struck, and 241,669 uncirculated coins were struck.

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