
Believe it or not, the story of the dollar coin before Dwight D. Eisenhower is the story of Lady Liberty. For decades, the dollar didn't feature a president at all, but rather this powerful and symbolic figure.
The coin struck immediately before the Eisenhower dollar was the iconic Peace dollar. This beautiful coin, minted from 1921 until 1935, featured a distinctive profile of the goddess Liberty on its front. Its production marked the end of an era, as no new dollar coins were issued for circulation for a very long time after 1935.
When the U.S. Mint revived the dollar coin in 1971 with Eisenhower's profile, it was the first one released to the public in over 35 years. Just before the Peace dollar, another famous coin, the dollar, also circulated. Minted from 1878 to 1921, it too featured a classic depiction of Lady Liberty. So, while Eisenhower was the first president to be honored on a modern, circulating dollar, his predecessor wasn't another person but the timeless symbol of American freedom itself.


