The Gulf of Mexico is not as round and has a different shape in the type 2 reverse - While the friendly eagle reverse (type 1) features a rounder and more open Gulf of Mexico. Both varieties depict United States mainland and the Caribbean islands. This is actually one of the easiest ways to identify the 1971-D type 1 vs type 2 varieties of this coin. The difference between the friendly eagle vs common eagle is depicted below in the example comparison image:Īnother feature to look at is the portrait of the planet earth in the background of the coin. Although 'Friendly Eagle' (type 1) is missing this browline above the eye - giving the eagle a less foreboding and more friendly appearance. The common reverse (type 2) features an eagle with a browline above the eye. It is fairly easy to identify this coin as there are three features on the reverse to look at to distinguish it from the rarer 'Friendly Eagle' Type 1 variety. One major variety of the 1971-D Eisenhower Dollar is the Type 2 'Common reverse' variety - which is sometimes known as Variety 2 or RDV-001. What This Coin Looks Like (Obverse, Reverse, Mint Mark Location, Special Features, etc.):
