The uncirculated silver dollar is often known as a “blue pack” silver dollar (so named thanks to the blue envelope in which it came) and the proof dollar is dubbed the “brown pack,” thanks to the brownish color of its faux-wood box. The 1973 40 percent silver dollars come in two varieties: an uncirculated version that was originally packed in a cellophane holder with an enclosed blue and silver token, and a proof specimen packaged in a hard plastic case which came inside a woodgrain box. In 1973, the United States Mint was in its third year of striking Eisenhower dollars, and while most were made with a copper-nickel clad metal base, some were produced with a 40 percent silver composition for coin collectors.
