34th President

United States of America

(1953 - 1961)

Before he became President in 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower rose to fame as Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, where he oversaw Operation Overlord, which is also known as D Day. His contributions to American society during World War II made him a popular candidate and his campaign slogan was
simply “I Like Ike.”

The Eisenhower Dollar, more popularly known as the Ike Dollar, was the first dollar coin issued by the U.S. Mint since the Peace Dollar was retired in 1935. Shortly after Eisenhower passed in 1969, legislators began talks to bring back the dollar coin featuring President Eisenhower. The Eisenhower Dollar was subsequently struck from 1971 to 1978.

Designed by tenth Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint, Frank Gasparro, the obverse depicts a bust of President Eisenhower based on a sketch Gasparro made while attending a parade celebrating Allied victory in Europe. The reverse commemorates Eisenhower’s dedication to the space program by depicting a victorious eagle landing on the moon, which is symbolic of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.