
The face gracing the 1979 dollar coin is none other than the famed women's suffrage leader, Susan B. Anthony. She holds the distinction of being the first real woman to be honored on a circulating U.S. coin, a fitting tribute to her trailblazing efforts.
Now, let's address the elephant in the room, or rather, the silver in the dollar. While we affectionately call them "silver dollars," the Susan B. Anthony dollar is a bit of an impostor in that regard. According to the provided context, the coin's design was based on the Eisenhower dollar, but its metallic makeup is more modest than the precious metal of its ancestors.
First minted in 1979, this smaller dollar was designed by Frank Gasparro and was intended to replace the larger, clunkier Eisenhower dollar. So, while the 1979 dollar might not fill your pockets with actual silver, it definitely carries a weighty piece of American history.


