The portrait, and all other design elements in relief, are still frosted. The field, or background, is then highly polished to a mirror finish. After heat treating, each coinage die has a frosted appearance and texture throughout its entire surface. The finished coins have an almost mirror surface.įor the most part, the finish on modern-day proofs is mirror-like.

The slower action assures sharper, more even impressions and makes the design much more distinct. In order to minimize scratches and abrasions the coins are hand-fed to a slow-moving press. The dies, made solely for this purpose, are also highly polished, and are buffed during use. These are pieces made from carefully selected blanks that have been highly polished before being fed to the presses. Cupro-nickel dollar coins also will be made for general circulation, but will not appear until late in the year. The Mint plans to produce 150 million of the silver content coins. It is emphasized that orders will not be accepted prior to July 1, 1971. The Mint will announce ordering details for these collectors’ coins shortly. Rossides, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Enforcement and Operations, today announced the following premium prices for special Eisenhower dollar coins to be made of a 40 percent silver alloy:

1972 eisenhower silver dollar value