Dollar coins are coins that are larger than most, have a diameter of over one inch, and they possess a face value of $1. Dollar coins are not used for circulation purposes nearly as much as the coins of smaller denominations. They became even less popular when they removed precious metals from coins for circulation. There were six major dollar coins minted throughout U.S. Coinage History.
The first is the Bust Dollar. The Bust Dollar was the first dollar coin minted in the U.S. it had many design changes before it was discontinued. The coin that came after the Bust Dollar was the Seated Liberty Dollar, this was not generally a rare coin when it came to the number of coins minted in total, but its popularity comes from the rarity of its well-preserved coins. After that came the Trade dollar, this piece was minted for trade in other parts of the world, not for circulation in the U.S. The Morgan Silver Dollar was the next coin minted. This silver dollar coin is one of the most collected coins in the U.S. Some people collect them for the silver content, others buy them for their rarity and value that comes with them. The Peace dollar is next in line. This coin had over a million coins minted before it was released into circulation. Last but not least is the Eisenhower Dollar. This piece was the first dollar coin to be released into circulation with no silver in it. Although they did mint coins with silver, they were not used for circulation.
All silver dollar coins contained silver before the Eisenhower dollar. The silver dollar coin was not very popular for circulation because of the size and weight of these coins. They became even less popular for commerce after the release of the paper dollar.
The following are the different types of silver dollars and their mintage years:
Bust Dollar: 1794-1804
Seated Liberty Dollar: 1840-1873
Trade dollar: 1873- 1885
Morgan Silver Dollar: 1878-1921
Peace Dollar: 1921-1935
Eisenhower Dollar: 1971-1978