Ah, the 1979 "liberty silver dollar"! Let's clear up a little rumor first. That coin is about as silver as a stainless steel fork. It's actually a copper-nickel clad coin, a fact that has disappointed treasure-hunters for decades. The coin you're holding is the famous, and somewhat infamous, Susan B. Anthony dollar.
For the vast majority of these coins, the ones you might find rattling in a drawer or used as a poker chip, the value is... exactly one dollar. Shocking, I know. Its tendency to be mistaken for a quarter didn't do its reputation any favors, so most of them saw plenty of circulation and are only worth their face value.
However, don't rush to the vending machine just yet. If you have one in pristine, uncirculated condition, it might fetch a little more, typically in the $2 to $12 range. Condition is everything in the coin world. Proof versions, which have a shinier, mirror-like finish and an "S" mint mark for San Francisco, were made for collectors and can be worth around $5 to $15.
Now, for the lottery ticket. There is one specific, rare variety from the Philadelphia mint (it will have a "P" mint mark) known as the "Wide Rim" or "Near Date" dollar. On this version, the date is practically snuggling up against the rim of the coin, much closer than on the common version. If you've found one of these, you can stop using it as a paperweight. Even in circulated condition, it can be worth $30 to $60, and a perfect, graded example could be valued in the thousands.
So, take a close look. You're probably holding a dollar, but you might just be holding the most valuable dollar from 1979. Happy hunting
