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Presidential Dollar Coin

A new presidential dollar coin began appearing in circulation on February 15, 2007.  The leadoff coin carried the likeness of George Washington, the first United States President.

The dollars are being produced because of the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, which obliges the Mint to strike the dollar coins to commemorate the service of former U.S. Presidents, in the order in which they held the nation's highest office.

Four presidential dollar coins are to be released every year until the conclusion of the program. The 2009 dollar coins commemorate the presidencies of William Harrison, John Tyler, James Polk, and Zachary Taylor.

William Harrison Presidential Dollar John Tyler Presidential Dollar James Polk Presidential Dollar Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar
William Harrison
9th President 1841
Release Date: 02-19-09
John Tyler
10th President 1841-1845
Release Date: 05-21-09
James Polk
11th President 1845-1849
Release Date: 08-20-09
Zachary Taylor
12th President 1849-1850
Release Date: 11-19-09
United States Mint images.


The key provisions of the presidential dollar coin law include:
Image placement of four U.S. presidents on the dollar coin each year, in the order of their service, until all are commemorated.
The Statue of Liberty is featured on the reverse side of every presidential coin.
Inscriptions located on the edge of the coin, such as date, mintmark, and the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST". [Update: The law was amended in December 2007, to relocate "IN GOD WE TRUST" from the edge to either the front or back. This was in response to public outrage over what many perceived as the "Godless" dollar. The change appeared beginning on the 2009 presidential dollars, on the front side.]
Continuation of the Sacagawea Dollar during the life of the Presidential Coin Program. [Update: The Native American $1 Coin Act specifies that during the life of the Presidential Dollar program, the Sacagawea Dollar reverse will bear a new design each year, starting in 2009, to recognize Native Americans for their contributions to the history and development of the United States.]
The federal government is required to use the presidential dollar coin in all of its retail operations.
The dollar coins must be readily available to commerce, by producing sufficient quantities of rolls and bank bags.
A new pure-gold bullion coin to honor presidential spouses will be created, designed to appeal to collectors and investors alike.


Presidential dollar coin reverse
A ground view looking up at the Statue of Liberty appears on the reverse side of all presidential dollar coins.  United States Mint image.

The front side of each coin depicts the image of a former President, his years served in office, and the IN GOD WE TRUST motto.  The reverse shows a view of the Statue of Liberty that is common to all presidential dollar coins, along with inscriptions "The United States of America" and "$1."

The presidential coin set is modeled after the popular 50 State Quarter Program created by Congress in 1997. That program has attracted many new individuals to the coin collecting hobby, while renewing interest in our nation's history and the contribution of each state.

What's more, Uncle Sam has enjoyed a profit of $0.20 or so for every quarter released into circulation, reflecting the difference between the cost of producing the coin and its face value in commerce, bringing in more than $4 billion extra dollars to the Treasury due to the public demand for State Quarters.


A study commissioned by the Mint showed that about half of all Americans are interested in collecting the presidential dollar coins.  In a manner similar to the State Quarters, a fully circulating dollar coin would net perhaps as much as $500 million for the government annually, because for each presidential dollar coin distributed to the public, somewhere between $0.85 and $0.90 profit returns to the Treasury.

The table below lists all U.S. presidents in chronological order of service, and the year their presidential dollar coin will be issued. According to the new law, a president must be deceased a minimum of two years before being honored on a presidential dollar coin.

Presidential Dollar Coins Release Schedule
Issue DatePresident, Term of Office
Feb 15, 20071. George Washington 1789-1797
May 17, 20072. John Adams, 1797-1801
Aug 16, 20073. Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
Nov 15, 20074. James Madison, 1809-1817
Feb 14, 20085. James Monroe, 1817-1825
May 15, 20086. John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829
Aug 14, 20087. Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837
Nov 13, 20088. Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841
Feb 19, 20099. William Henry Harrison, 1841
May 21, 200910. John Tyler, 1841-1845
Aug 20, 200911. James K. Polk, 1845-1849
Nov 19, 200912. Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850
201013. Millard Fillmore, 1850-1853
14. Franklin Pierce, 1853-1857
15. James Buchanan, 1857-1861
16. Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865
201117. Andrew Johnson, 1865-1869
18. Ulysses S. Grant, 1869-1877
19. Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877-1881
20. James A. Garfield, 1881
201221. Chester A, Arthur, 1881-1885
22. Grover Cleveland, 1885-1889
23. Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893
24. Grover Cleveland, 1893-1897
201325. William McKinley, 1897-1901
26. Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-1909
27. William H. Taft, 1909-1913
28. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921
201429. Warren G. Harding, 1921-1923
30. Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929
31. Herbert C. Hoover, 1929-1933
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt,1933-1945
201533. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953-1961
35. John F. Kennedy, 1961-1963
36. Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1969
201637. Richard M. Nixon, 1969-1974
38. Gerald R. Ford, 1974-1977
39. James E. Carter, Jr., 1977-1981
40. Ronald W. Reagan, 1981-1989
201741. George H. W. Bush, 1989-1993
42. William J. Clinton, 1993-2001
43. George W. Bush, 2001-2009
44. Barack H. Obama, 2009-

The issuance dates for the first 38 presidential dollar coins are certain, carrying us until the year 2016. How many new presidential coins are minted beyond that is dependent on the number of living former presidents who die prior to 2014. Jimmy Carter and George H. W. both turn 90 that year. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both born in 1946, would be 68 in 2014, so the odds are good they won't qualify for their presidential coins by then. And what of the 2008 winner, Barack Obama, and the person elected president in 2012 and 2016? New legislation will probably be written to address this touchy issue.


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