Ulysses S. Grant Dollar Coin: Value, Varieties & Collector Guide

Ulysses S. Grant came a long way from a tanner’s son to the presidency. His life and achievements were commemorated with a Presidential Dollar Coin. What is the Ulysses S. Grant 1869 to 1877 coin worth? This dollar deserves a proper overview.

Overview of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 Coin

In 2011, the United States honored Ulysses S. Grant with a special coin release. A dollar celebrated his life and work as the 18th President from 1869 to 1877. 

Ulysses S. Grant commanded a military operation during the Civil War that elevated his popularity. He then became the president. During his term, he pushed back the Ku Klux Klan, promoted civil rights, and established Yellowstone National Park.

Each president was unique and precious, but the Presidential program tried to be fair and make all these dollars similar in their mintage and material used. In technical terms, Grant’s coin was no different from the next in line, the Rutherford B. Hayes Dollar.

Grant’s dollar was relatively popular, just as the president it honoured.

"After retiring from the presidency, Grant learned that he had cancer of the throat… He started writing his memoirs to help pay off his debts and provide for his family; Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant became a best-seller. The book is today considered one of the finest military autobiographies ever written."
— United States Mint
Official Website 

Ulysses S. Grant Dollar Coin Value (Circulated, Uncirculated & Proof)

The Ulysses Grant dollar coin value 1869 to 1877 is relatively low. This situation is common for all Presidential bits. (e.g., James Garfield dollar).

The Ulysses S Grant 1 dollar coin is common and trades near face value in circulation. Uncirculated and proof pieces, however, are often worth more:

In Uncirculated grades, many factors affect the value. A shinier, more defined Ulysses S Grant $1 coin reaches higher values.

1869–1877 Design and Coin Varieties

Even though the dates 1869–1877 are on the obverse, they simply denote Grant’s presidential term. The piece was actually struck in 2011.

• The obverse features Grant's portrait, based on his life photos. The coin displays the inscriptions "ULYSSES S. GRANT", "IN GOD WE TRUST" and "18TH PRESIDENT". His years of presidency (1869 to 1877) are on the right. 

• The reverse features the Statue of Liberty and the denomination $1. Don Everhart created both the portrait and reverse design of the coin.

As for varieties, we find two “classes”:

1. Mint mark varieties. Business-strike coins were issued from Philadelphia and Denver (marked “P” or “D” on the edge inscriptions). Higher quality proofs were struck at San Francisco (“S”)

• The mint marks are located on the edge of the coin.

• Each mint mark had a different mintage. Philadelphia made 38,080,000 bits. Denver made 37,940,000 bits. San Francisco produced 1,972,863 proofs.

2. Error variables. Any mint mark variety may come with errors. Such error coins are in demand from a collector. Presidential Dollars have identified problems with their edge inscriptions:

• Missing edge lettering. The most famous error type for all Presidential dollars. The coin is struck normally, but the edge inscriptions (date, mintmark, “E PLURIBUS UNUM”) are missing.

• Weak edge lettering. The lettering is incomplete, faint.

• Doubled-edge lettering. The lettering appears shifted, doubled, or overlapped, caused by the coin passing through the edge-lettering press twice.

The Ulysses S Grant coin value for error cases is high, most easily exceeding the $50 mark. Collectors appreciate well-defined errors, authenticated with certificates.

Even if you could t find a rare error, Ulysses Grant dollar coin value remains high, at least in terms of the symbolism and history it preserves.