Presidential dollar coins facts for kids
| United States | |
| Value | 1 U.S. dollar |
|---|---|
| Mass | 8.100 g (0.26 troy oz) |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm (1.043 in) |
| Thickness | 2.00 mm (0.0787 in) |
| Edge | Engraved: text "E pluribus unum", the coin's mint mark, its year of issuance, and 13 five-pointed stars (prior to 2009: text "In God We Trust") |
| Composition | Copper with manganese brass cladding: 88.5% Cu 6% Zn 3.5% Mn 2% Ni |
| Years of minting | 2007–2011 (Circulation) 2012–2016; 2020 (Collectors Only) |
| Catalog number | — |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | Portrait of US Presidents (first shown) |
| Designer | Various |
| Design date | 2007–2016; 2020 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | Statue of Liberty |
| Designer | Don Everhart |
| Design date | 2007 |
Presidential dollar coins are special U.S. dollar coins that show pictures of past U.S. presidents on one side. On the other side, they feature the Statue of Liberty.
These coins were made for people to use every day from 2007 to 2011. However, a lot of them were made and not used, so they ended up in storage. From 2012 to 2016, new coins in this series were only made for collectors. A new coin was released on December 4, 2020, to honor George H. W. Bush, who passed away after the original coin program had finished.
Contents
How the Presidential Dollar Program Started
The idea for the Presidential dollar coins came from a law called the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005. Senator John E. Sununu introduced this bill in May 2005. Many other senators supported it.
The law was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. President George W. Bush signed it into law on December 22, 2005. This act made it possible for the U.S. Mint to start making these special dollar coins.
What Makes These Coins Special?
The Presidential dollar coin program started on January 1, 2007. The plan was to honor four different presidents each year. A new coin would be released every three months. To be on a coin, a president had to have passed away at least two years before the coin was made.
The front of each coin shows a portrait of a U.S. president. The back of the coin features the Statue of Liberty. It also says "$1" and "United States of America".
Along the edge of the coin, you can find the year it was made, the mint mark (which shows where it was made), and 13 stars. It also says "E Pluribus Unum", which means "Out of many, one." Before 2009, the phrase In God We Trust was also on the edge. The word "Liberty" is not on the coin itself because the Statue of Liberty image already represents freedom.
The first Presidential dollar coin, honoring George Washington, was released on February 15, 2007. This was just before Washington's Birthday.
These coins were the first U.S. coins made for everyday use to have words on their edge since the early 1900s. Edge lettering was first used in the 1790s to stop people from shaving off small bits of gold from the edges of coins.
In December 2007, a new law was passed that moved the phrase "In God We Trust" from the edge to either the front or back of the coins. This same law also created a program for special quarters for Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories.
The Presidential dollar program was created because the earlier Sacagawea $1 coin was not widely used by the public. Lawmakers hoped that changing the coin's design would make people more interested in using dollar coins, similar to how popular the State Quarter program was. The program also aimed to teach people about U.S. presidents and their history.
Unlike some other coin programs, the U.S. Mint was still required to make Sacagawea dollar coins alongside the Presidential dollars. This was important to the state of North Dakota, as they consider Sacagawea a significant figure. At first, one out of every three dollar coins had to be a Sacagawea dollar. Later, this was changed to one out of every five by the Native American $1 Coin Act in 2007.
Mistakes in Coin Production
Sometimes, mistakes happen when coins are made.
- Missing Edge Words: On March 8, 2007, the U.S. Mint announced that some George Washington dollar coins were released without any words on their edges. This meant they were missing "In God We Trust," "E pluribus unum," the mint mark, and the year. These coins became known as "Godless dollars" and were worth more to collectors.
- John Adams Errors: Some John Adams dollar coins were also found with plain edges, making them quite rare. Others had doubled edge lettering, meaning the words were stamped twice. This happened when a coin went through the edge lettering machine two times.
- Blank Coins: In March 2007, a couple found a dollar coin that was completely blank on both sides but still had words on its edge. This was a very unusual mistake.
- Upside-Down Words: Some coins have the words on the rim struck upside down when the president's face is right side up. This is not a mistake, but a normal variation from the minting process. About half of the coins made this way have upside-down words.
Why Production Was Stopped
By 2011, there were 1.4 billion unused dollar coins stored away. If you laid them all flat, they would stretch from Los Angeles to Chicago! If production had continued, this number could have reached two billion by 2016.
Because of this huge stockpile, the U.S. government decided to stop making Presidential dollar coins for everyday use. On December 13, 2011, it was announced that future coins in the series would only be made in smaller numbers for collectors. This started with the coin honoring Chester A. Arthur.
The Program's End and Return
The law said that a president had to be deceased for at least two years to be honored with a coin. So, when the series originally ended in 2016 after honoring Ronald Reagan, presidents like George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama were not yet eligible.
To honor presidents who became eligible later, a new law was needed. On February 12, 2019, Senator John Cornyn introduced a bill to create a Presidential dollar coin for George H. W. Bush. This bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 28, 2020, allowing the Bush coin to be released.
Collecting Presidential Dollars
Even though these coins weren't widely used, some of them are quite rare and sought after by collectors. Special "Reverse Proof" versions were made for coins honoring Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. These special coins had very limited numbers, ranging from about 16,000 to 48,000 for each design.
Coin Details: Presidents Honored
Here is a list of the presidents featured on the dollar coins, in the order they were released:
| Release number |
President number |
President name |
Release date | Denver Mintage |
Philadelphia Mintage |
Total Mintage | Design | In office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st | George Washington | February 15, 2007 | 163,680,000 | 176,680,000 | 340,360,000 | |
1789–1797 |
| 2 | 2nd | John Adams | May 17, 2007 | 112,140,000 | 112,420,000 | 224,560,000 |  |
1797–1801 |
| 3 | 3rd | Thomas Jefferson | August 16, 2007 | 102,810,000 | 100,800,000 | 203,610,000 |  |
1801–1809 |
| 4 | 4th | James Madison | November 15, 2007 | 87,780,000 | 84,560,000 | 172,340,000 |  |
1809–1817 |
| 5 | 5th | James Monroe | February 14, 2008 | 60,230,000 | 64,260,000 | 124,490,000 |  |
1817–1825 |
| 6 | 6th | John Quincy Adams | May 15, 2008 | 57,720,000 | 57,540,000 | 115,260,000 |  |
1825–1829 |
| 7 | 7th | Andrew Jackson | August 14, 2008 | 61,070,000 | 61,180,000 | 122,250,000 |  |
1829–1837 |
| 8 | 8th | Martin Van Buren | November 13, 2008 | 50,960,000 | 51,520,000 | 102,480,000 |  |
1837–1841 |
| 9 | 9th | William Henry Harrison | February 19, 2009 | 55,160,000 | 43,260,000 | 98,420,000 |  |
1841 |
| 10 | 10th | John Tyler | May 21, 2009 | 43,540,000 | 43,540,000 | 87,080,000 |  |
1841–1845 |
| 11 | 11th | James K. Polk | August 20, 2009 | 41,720,000 | 46,620,000 | 88,340,000 |  |
1845–1849 |
| 12 | 12th | Zachary Taylor | November 19, 2009 | 36,680,000 | 41,580,000 | 78,260,000 |  |
1849–1850 |
| 13 | 13th | Millard Fillmore | February 18, 2010 | 36,960,000 | 37,520,000 | 74,480,000 |  |
1850–1853 |
| 14 | 14th | Franklin Pierce | May 20, 2010 | 38,360,000 | 38,220,000 | 76,580,000 |  |
1853–1857 |
| 15 | 15th | James Buchanan | August 19, 2010 | 36,540,000 | 36,820,000 | 73,360,000 |  |
1857–1861 |
| 16 | 16th | Abraham Lincoln | November 18, 2010 | 48,020,000 | 49,000,000 | 97,020,000 |  |
1861–1865 |
| 17 | 17th | Andrew Johnson | February 17, 2011 | 37,100,000 | 35,560,000 | 72,660,000 |  |
1865–1869 |
| 18 | 18th | Ulysses S. Grant | May 19, 2011 | 37,940,000 | 38,080,000 | 76,020,000 |  |
1869–1877 |
| 19 | 19th | Rutherford B. Hayes | August 18, 2011 | 36,820,000 | 37,660,000 | 74,480,000 |  |
1877–1881 |
| 20 | 20th | James A. Garfield | November 17, 2011 | 37,100,000 | 37,100,000 | 74,200,000 |  |
1881 |
| 21 | 21st | Chester A. Arthur | February 5, 2012 | 4,060,000 | 6,020,000 | 10,080,000 |  |
1881–1885 |
| 22 | 22nd | Grover Cleveland | May 25, 2012 | 4,060,000 | 5,460,000 | 9,520,000 |  |
1885–1889 |
| 23 | 23rd | Benjamin Harrison | August 16, 2012 | 4,200,000 | 5,640,001 | 9,840,001 |  |
1889–1893 |
| 24 | 24th | Grover Cleveland | November 15, 2012 | 3,920,000 | 10,680,001 | 14,600,001 |  |
1893–1897 |
| 25 | 25th | William McKinley | February 19, 2013 | 3,365,100 | 4,760,000 | 8,125,100 |  |
1897–1901 |
| 26 | 26th | Theodore Roosevelt | April 11, 2013 | 3,920,000 | 5,310,700 | 9,230,700 |  |
1901–1909 |
| 27 | 27th | William Howard Taft | July 9, 2013 | 3,360,000 | 4,760,000 | 8,120,000 |  |
1909–1913 |
| 28 | 28th | Woodrow Wilson | October 17, 2013 | 3,360,000 | 4,620,000 | 7,980,000 |  |
1913–1921 |
| 29 | 29th | Warren G. Harding | February 6, 2014 | 3,780,000 | 6,160,000 | 9,940,000 |  |
1921–1923 |
| 30 | 30th | Calvin Coolidge | April 10, 2014 | 3,780,000 | 4,480,000 | 8,260,000 |  |
1923–1929 |
| 31 | 31st | Herbert Hoover | June 19, 2014 | 3,780,000 | 4,480,000 | 8,260,000 |  |
1929–1933 |
| 32 | 32nd | Franklin D. Roosevelt | August 28, 2014 | 3,920,000 | 4,760,000 | 8,680,000 |  |
1933–1945 |
| 33 | 33rd | Harry S. Truman | February 5, 2015 | 3,500,000 | 4,900,000 | 8,400,000 |  |
1945–1953 |
| 34 | 34th | Dwight D. Eisenhower | April 13, 2015 | 3,645,998 | 4,900,000 | 8,545,998 |  |
1953–1961 |
| 35 | 35th | John F. Kennedy | June 18, 2015 | 5,180,000 | 6,160,000 | 11,340,000 |  |
1961–1963 |
| 36 | 36th | Lyndon B. Johnson | August 18, 2015 | 4,200,000 | 7,840,000 | 12,040,000 |  |
1963–1969 |
| 37 | 37th | Richard Nixon | February 3, 2016 | 4,340,000 | 5,460,000 | 10,000,000 |  |
1969–1974 |
| 38 | 38th | Gerald Ford | March 8, 2016 | 5,040,000 | 5,460,000 | 10,500,000 |  |
1974–1977 |
| 39 | 40th | Ronald Reagan | July 5, 2016 | 5,880,000 | 7,140,000 | 13,020,000 |  |
1981–1989 |
| 40 | 41st | George H. W. Bush | December 4, 2020 | 1,502,425 | 1,242,275 | 2,744,700 |  |
1989–1993 |
First Spouse Gold Coins
Along with the Presidential dollar coins, the U.S. also honored the spouses of the presidents. They issued special half-ounce gold coins with their pictures. These are called "First Spouse" coins.
The front of these gold coins shows a portrait of the president's spouse, their name, and the years they served as first spouse. It also includes the year the coin was made, "In God We Trust," and "Liberty." The back of each coin has a unique design that shows something important about that spouse's life or work. It also says "The United States of America," "E Pluribus Unum," "$10," and ".9999 Fine Gold."
If a president was unmarried while in office (which happened four times), the coin for that period shows an image of Liberty from that time. The back of these coins shows themes related to that president. For example, the coin for Chester A. Arthur (who was a widower) features suffragist Alice Paul, who was born during his presidency.
The First Spouse coins were released at the same time as their matching Presidential dollar coins. The program officially started on June 19, 2007. The U.S. Mint offered these coins in two versions: "proof" (very high quality) and "uncirculated" (new but not as shiny as proof).
The U.S. Mint also makes bronze medal copies of these First Spouse gold coins. These medals are not real money. In 2009, some 2007 Abigail Adams medals were accidentally made with the back design of the 2008 Louisa Adams medal. These rare mistakes are called "mules."
The First Spouse program originally ended in 2016, but it was continued in 2020 to honor Barbara Bush.
Here is a list of the First Spouse coins:
| Release # |
Spouse # |
Name | Reverse design | Release date | Proof Issue Price | Mintage figures |
Front/obverse Design |
Reverse Design |
Dates served |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Martha Washington | Mrs. Washington sewing, with slogan "First Lady of the Continental Army" | June 19, 2007 | $429.95 | 19,167 |  |
1789–1797 | |
| 2 | 2 | Abigail Adams | Mrs. Adams writing her famous "Remember the Ladies" letter | June 19, 2007 | $429.95 | 17,149 |  |
1797–1801 | |
| 3 | 3 | Thomas Jefferson's Liberty | Jefferson's grave at Monticello | August 30, 2007 | $429.95 | 19,815 |  |
 |
1801–1809 |
| 4 | 4 | Dolley Madison | Mrs. Madison posing before the Lansdowne portrait of Washington, which she saved during the Burning of Washington | November 19, 2007 | $529.95 | 17,943 |  |
1809–1817 | |
| 5 | 5 | Elizabeth Monroe | Mrs. Monroe at the reopening of the White House in 1818 | February 28, 2008 | $619.95* | 7,800 | 1817–1825 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Louisa Adams | Mrs. Adams and her son Charles making the dangerous journey from St Petersburg to Paris in 1812 | May 29, 2008 | $619.95* | 6,581 | 1825–1829 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Andrew Jackson's Liberty | Jackson on horseback with his nickname "Old Hickory" | August 28, 2008 | $619.95* | 7,684 |  |
1829–1837 | |
| 8 | 8 | Martin Van Buren's Liberty | Van Buren reading in the grass in his home village of Kinderhook | November 25, 2008 | $549.95 | 6,807 |  |
1837–1841 | |
| 9 | 9 | Anna Harrison | Mrs. Harrison reading to her children | March 5, 2009 | $629.00 | 6,251 | 1841 | ||
| 10 | 10 | Letitia Tyler | Mrs. Tyler with children on Cedar Grove Plantation | July 2, 2009 | N/A | 5,296 |  |
1841–1842 | |
| 10A | 10A | Julia Tyler | Mr. and Mrs. Tyler dancing | August 6, 2009 | N/A | 4,844 | 1844–1845 | ||
| 11 | 11 | Sarah Polk | Mr. and Mrs. Polk working together at a desk in the White House | September 3, 2009 | N/A | 5,151 |  |
 |
1845–1849 |
| 12 | 12 | Margaret Taylor | A young Mrs. Taylor tending to a wounded soldier during the First Seminole War. | December 3, 2009 | N/A | 4,936 |  |
1849–1850 | |
| 13 | 13 | Abigail Fillmore | Mrs. Fillmore shelving books in the White House Library, which she established. | March 18, 2010 | N/A | 6,130 |  |
1850–1853 | |
| 14 | 14 | Jane Pierce | Mrs. Pierce in the visitors' gallery of the Old Senate Chamber, listening to a debate. | June 3, 2010 | N/A | 4,775 | 1853–1857 | ||
| 15 | 15 | James Buchanan's Liberty | Buchanan working as a bookkeeper in the family store | September 2, 2010 | N/A | 7,110 |  |
1857–1861 | |
| 16 | 16 | Mary Todd Lincoln | Mrs. Lincoln giving flowers and a book to Union soldiers during the Civil War | December 2, 2010 | N/A | 6,861 |  |
1861–1865 | |
| 17 | 17 | Eliza Johnson | Three children dancing and a Marine Band violinist at the children's ball that was held for President Johnson's 60th birthday. | May 5, 2011 | N/A | 3,887 | 1865–1869 | ||
| 18 | 18 | Julia Grant | Grant and a young Julia Dent horseriding at White Haven, her family home. | June 23, 2011 | N/A | 3,943 | 1869–1877 | ||
| 19 | 19 | Lucy Hayes | Mrs. Hayes hosting the first Easter Egg Roll at the White House, 1877 | September 1, 2011 | N/A | 3,868 | 1877–1881 | ||
| 20 | 20 | Lucretia Garfield | Mrs. Garfield painting on a canvas with brush and palette. | December 1, 2011 | N/A | 3,653 |  |
1881 | |
| 21 | 21 | Alice Paul | Alice Paul marching for women's suffrage | October 12, 2012 | N/A | 3,505 |  |
N/A † | |
| 22 | 22 | Frances Cleveland | Mrs. Cleveland hosting a working women's reception. | November 15, 2012 | N/A | 3,158 | 1886–1889 | ||
| 23 | 23 | Caroline Harrison | orchid and paint brushes | December 6, 2012 | N/A | 3,046 | 1889–1892 | ||
| 24 | 24 | Frances Cleveland | Mrs. Cleveland delivering a speech | December 20, 2012 | N/A | 3,104 |  |
1893–1897 | |
| 25 | 25 | Ida McKinley | Mrs. McKinley's hands crocheting slippers; she made thousands which were sold for charity. | November 14, 2013 | N/A | 1,769 | 1897–1901 | ||
| 26 | 26 | Edith Roosevelt | Image of the White House with compass and "The White House Restored 1902" | November 21, 2013 | N/A | 2,851 | 1901–1909 | ||
| 27 | 27 | Helen Taft | Cherry blossom of Prunus serrulata, brought to Washington, DC by Mrs. Taft | December 2, 2013 | $770.00 | 2,579 | 1909–1913 | ||
| 28 | 28 | Ellen Wilson | Commemoration of Mrs. Wilson's creation of the White House Rose Garden | December 9, 2013 | $770.00 | 2,551 | 1913–1914 | ||
| 28A | 28A | Edith Wilson | Image commemorating Mrs. Wilson's support for her husband after his stroke; the President holds onto a cane with Edith's hand resting warmly on top | December 16, 2013 | $770.00 | 2,452 | 1915–1921 | ||
| 29 | 29 | Florence Harding | Items relating to Mrs. Harding's life: ballots and ballot box, camera, torch, and initials referencing World War I veterans | July 10, 2014 | $770.00 | 2,288 | 1921–1923 | ||
| 30 | 30 | Grace Coolidge | U.S.A. spelled out in American Sign Language in front of the White House; Mrs. Coolidge promoted Deaf education | July 17, 2014 | $770.00 | 2,196 | 1923–1929 | ||
| 31 | 31 | Lou Hoover | Radio commemorating Mrs. Hoover's radio address of 19 April 1929, the first by a First Lady | August 14, 2014 | $770.00 | 2,025 | 1929–1933 | ||
| 32 | 32 | Eleanor Roosevelt | A hand lighting a candle, symbolizing her life's work and the global impact of her humanitarian initiatives. | September 4, 2014 | $770.00 | 2,389 | 1933–1945 | ||
| 33 | 33 | Bess Truman | A wheel on railroad tracks, symbolizing Mrs. Truman's support for her husband on his 1948 whistle stop tour | April 16, 2015 | $770.00 | N/A | 1945–1953 | ||
| 34 | 34 | Mamie Eisenhower | Hand holding an I Like Mamie badge | May 7, 2015 | $770.00 | N/A | 1953–1961 | ||
| 35 | 35 | Jacqueline Kennedy | Saucer magnolia flower (planted by Mrs. Kennedy beside the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame) overlaid on an image of the world. | June 25, 2015 | $770.00 | N/A | 1961–1963 | ||
| 36 | 36 | Lady Bird Johnson | Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument and flowers in reference to Mrs. Johnson's efforts in the beautification and conservation of America | August 27, 2015 | N/A | N/A | 1963–1969 | ||
| 37 | 37 | Pat Nixon | People standing hand-in-hand surrounding a globe, symbolizing Mrs. Nixon's commitment to volunteerism. | February 18, 2016 | N/A | N/A | 1969–1974 | ||
| 38 | 38 | Elizabeth Ford | Young woman ascending a staircase, representing Mrs. Ford's openness and advocacy regarding addiction, breast cancer and women's rights. | March 25, 2016 | N/A | N/A | 1974–1977 | ||
| 39 | 40 | Nancy Reagan | Mrs. Reagan with two children wearing "Just Say No" T-shirts | July 1, 2016 | N/A | N/A | 1981–1989 | ||
| 40 | 41 | Barbara Bush | A child reading a book with a river and a rising Sun as part of the design. | August 20, 2020 | $1,285.00 | 5,000 | 1989–1993 |
* The price of these gold coins changed often because the price of gold changed. The U.S. Mint used special charts to adjust the prices.
† Chester A. Arthur's wife, Ellen, passed away before he became president. Since there was no First Lady during his time in office, the law allowed Alice Paul to be featured on this coin. Alice Paul was a women's rights activist born during Arthur's presidency.
Other Coin Programs
The law that created the Presidential dollar coins also included plans for other special coins:
- A $50 gold coin called the American Buffalo. This coin looks like the old 1913 buffalo nickel.
- New designs for the back of the Lincoln cent in 2009. These designs showed four different moments from Abraham Lincoln's life to celebrate 200 years since his birth.
- His birth and early childhood in Kentucky.
- His growing up years in Indiana.
- His work life in Illinois.
- His time as president in Washington, D.C..
In 2009, special Lincoln cents were also made for collectors. These had the same copper content as cents made in 1909.
Since 2010, the Lincoln cent has another new design on its back. This design shows something that represents President Lincoln's efforts to keep the United States together as one country. This new design replaced the Lincoln Memorial design that was used from 1959 to 2008.
See also
In Spanish: Dólares presidenciales para niños
- List of presidents of the United States on currency
- American Innovation dollars
- 50 State quarters
- America the Beautiful quarters
- District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters
- Westward Journey nickel series
- Sacagawea dollar
- United States Bicentennial coinage
