By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….
In late 2011, the United States Mint released the James Garfield Presidential Dollar into circulation – the last dollar coin so issued. Recent policy changes at the Treasury Department had brought an end to the Federal Government’s latest attempt to convince the American public to use a small-size, base metal coin instead of a dollar bill, and the Presidential Dollar series became yet another Mint product of middling interest.
The Presidential Dollar Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) was signed by President George W. Bush and passed into law on December 22, 2005. The Act compelled the Secretary of the Treasury to “mint coins in commemoration of each of the Nation’s past Presidents and their spouses, respectively, to improve circulation of the $1 coin, [and] to create a new bullion coin”. Representative Mike Castle (DE) and Senator John Sununu (R-NH)–among the other cosponsors of House bill H.R.902 introduced on February 17 and Senate bill S.1047 introduced on May 17–cited the success of the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program as justification. They believed that the introduction of regularly changing designs would increase demand for the $1 coin, which failed to achieve widespread use after its debut in 2000.
The law decreed that only deceased presidents were eligible for depiction on one of the annual obverse designs, but clauses in the Act accounted for two contingencies. If a living former president died while the Presidential Dollar was in production, then a coin bearing their likeness would be added to the end of the series. But if a former president died after the program ended, then special legislation would be required to create a Presidential Dollar honoring them. At the time of writing in October 2024, the latter has occurred only once (the 2020 George H.W. Bush Presidential Dollar), but until the relevant section is repealed, new coins could be created for any present or future ex-president.
Interestingly, the law does not specify whether the former president’s spouse must be dead to appear on a corresponding First Spouse bullion coin or bronze medal, only that such material may be struck in tandem with Presidential Dollars that meet eligibility requirements.
Also, and perhaps counter to the Act’s stated motivation of improving the circulation of the dollar coin, the Sacagawea Dollar would continue to be struck and circulated alongside the Presidential Dollar due to the unarguable importance of women and Native Americans to United States history. The only difference would be that the legislation limited the yearly Sacagawea/Native American Dollar mintage to one-third of the Mint’s total dollar production.
Initially, Presidential Dollar mintages were massive. During the first year, the Mint struck nearly $1 billion in coins and followed that up with a further $465 million in 2008. By the time all circulating dollar coin production was curtailed in 2011, there was a surplus of over $1.4 billion Presidential Dollars in Treasury vaults.
After 2012, series mintages were tied to the number of coins ordered by collectors. Over the last several years of the series, mintages fell to between eight and 10 million pieces. In an unsuccessful attempt to build interest in the collectors-only versions, the Mint released a series of numismatic products like Historical Signature Sets, cloth bags, and First Day Coin Covers.
Specimen Strikes
One such numismatic product was merely incidental, however.
Through a quirk of timing at the Mint, Specimen-strike Presidential Dollars were struck during the first few years of the program. These Specimen strikes were part of the annual United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set produced from 2007 through 2010 and included one example of each dollar struck by Philadelphia and Denver. Usually, the Mint produces Uncirculated coins for the set the same way it strikes coins for circulation. But for six years starting in 2005, the Mint sandblasted the dies to create a satin finish for an “improved” look.
Collector response was less enthusiastic than the Mint had hoped and satin finish production ceased after 2010. Specimen-strike Presidential Dollars are typically found in excellent condition, often better than business strikes, with many grading MS68 or finer.
American $1 Coin and Chronicles Sets
A more successful numismatic product took advantage of the nostalgia that collectors feel for certain presidents and the eras they represent.
Starting with the 2015 Harry S. Truman Presidential Dollar, the Mint packaged exclusive Reverse Proof versions of the coin with other numismatic and philatelic offerings and a booklet in a select few Coin & Chronicles Sets. Such sets were issued for Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson in 2015; Reagan in 2016; and H.W. Bush in 2020. These sets were highly anticipated before release, with the Mint famously unprepared for the heavy traffic on their ordering website. All of the 2015 sets became “unavailable” within minutes of going on sale, leaving many enthusiastic collectors empty-handed and feeling burned by a Mint that didn’t seem to care about them.
Missing Edge Lettering and “Godless” Dollars
But the most infamous “product” in the history of the series was the creation and discovery of “Godless Dollars”.
To the dismay of those working to get the public to accept dollar coins, the issue became the focus of a 21st-century moral panic after the Mint struck and issued thousands of coins lacking mandatory edge lettering. This lettering included the date, the mintmark, and the mottos E PLURIBUS UNUM and IN GOD WE TRUST. Because the Presidential Dollar was the first circulating U.S. coin to feature edge lettering since the Mint stopped producing gold coins in 1933, errors were almost inevitable and certainly predictable as the new Schuler edge lettering machine was integrated into the production line. Americans are extremely attached to IN GOD WE TRUST on our money, and when it is not there, conspiracy theories are born.
The first Missing Edge Lettering Presidential Dollar error coin was sold on eBay on February 15, 2007 – the very same day the George Washington Dollar became available to the public. A sizable percentage of the Washington Missing Edge Lettering coins ended up in the Jacksonville, Florida area and were reported by a speculator who acquired large numbers of them.
Missing edge lettering affects all coins in the series, but only issues from 2007 and 2008 can be called “Godless” as the Mint permanently moved IN GOD WE TRUST to the obverse starting in 2009.
Like many other Presidential Dollar varieties and errors, “Godless Dollars” were popular at the time but less so now. Tens of thousands of examples have been certified.
The Presidential Dollar Year-by-Year
2007
The first four Presidential Dollars debuted in 2007. Unfortunately, the coins found little public support in commerce, like the Sacagawea Dollar that preceded them. Featured presidents include George Washington (1st), John Adams (2nd), Thomas Jefferson (3rd), and James Madison (4th).
In addition to the full 2007 Uncirculated Coin Set, the United States Mint offered Specimen-strike coins in a P-D Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set.
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2007 George Washington Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 176,680,000 | 163,680,000 | 895,628 | 895,628 | 3,965,989 |
|
2007 John Adams Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 112,420,000 | 112,140,000 | 895,628 | 895,628 | 3,965,989 |
|
2007 Thomas Jefferson Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 100,800,000 | 102,810,000 | 895,628 | 895,628 | 3,965,989 |
|
2007 James Madison Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 84,560,000 | 87,780,000 | 895,628 | 895,628 | 3,965,989 |
2008
Featured presidents include James Monroe (5th), John Quincy Adams (6th), Andrew Jackson (7th), and Martin Van Buren (8th).
|
2008 James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 64,260,000 | 60,230,000 | 765,464 | 765,464 | 3,083,940 |
|
2008 John Quincy Adams Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 57,540,000 | 57,720,000 | 765,464 | 765,464 | 3,083,940 |
|
2008 Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 61,180,000 | 61,070,000 | 765,464 | 765,464 | 3,083,940 |
|
2008 Martin Van Buren Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 51,520,000 | 50,960,000 | 765,464 | 765,464 | 3,083,940 |
2009
Featured presidents include William Henry Harrison (9th), John Tyler (10th), James K. Polk (11th), and Zachary Taylor (12th).
|
2009 William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 43,260,000 | 55,160,000 | 784,614 | 784,614 | 2,809,452 |
|
2009 John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 43,540,000 | 43,540,000 | 784,614 | 784,614 | 2,809,452 |
|
2009 James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 46,620,000 | 41,720,000 | 784,614 | 784,614 | 2,809,452 |
|
2009 Zachary Taylor Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 41,580,000 | 36,680,000 | 784,614 | 784,614 | 2,809,452 |
2010
Featured presidents include Millard Fillmore (13th), Franklin Pierce (14th), James Buchanan (16th), and Abraham Lincoln (16th).
|
2010 Millard Fillmore Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 37,520,000 | 36,960,000 | 583,897 | 583,897 | 2,224,613 |
|
2010 Franklin Pierce Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 38,220,000 | 38,360,000 | 583,897 | 583,897 | 2,224,613 |
|
2010 James Buchanan Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 36,820,000 | 36,540,000 | 583,897 | 583,897 | 2,224,613 |
|
2010 Abraham Lincoln Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Specimen P | Specimen D | Proof S |
| 49,000,000 | 48,020,000 | 583,897 | 583,897 | 2,224,613 |
2011
By 2011, there were rumblings in the Treasury Department about ending all circulating dollar coin programs. Featured presidents include Andrew Johnson (17th), Ulysses S. Grant (18th), Rutherford B. Hayes (19th), and James A. Garfield (20th).
|
2011 Andrew Johnson Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 35,560,000 | 37,100,000 | 1,972,863 |
|
2011 Ulysses S. Grant Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 38,080,000 | 37,940,000 | 1,972,863 |
|
2011 Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 37,660,000 | 36,820,000 | 1,972,863 |
|
2011 James A. Garfield Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 37,100,000 | 37,100,000 | 1,972,863 |
2012
On December 13, 2011, the Obama Administration stopped all circulating dollar coin production. Starting with the 2012 Chester Arthur coin, the Presidential Dollar would be for collectors only from now on – and mintages show it.
The Mint would adjust its pricing and product options accordingly. The price of 25-coin rolls was reduced by $7 to $32.95 and premiums were lowered for 100-, 250-, and 500-coin bags, which replaced the Mint’s prior Direct Ship program. This was also the year the annual four-coin set of Presidential Dollars was first issued.
Featured presidents include Chester Arthur (21st), Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th), and Benjamin Harrison (23rd).
|
2012 Chester Arthur Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 6,020,000 | 4,060,000 | 1,438,743 |
|
2012 Grover Cleveland Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 5,460,000 | 4,060,000 | 1,438,743 |
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2012 Benjamin Harrison Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 5,640,000 | 4,200,000 | 1,438,743 |
|
2012 Grover Cleveland Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 10,680,000 | 3,920,000 | 1,438,743 |
2013
Featured presidents include William McKinley (25th), Theodore Roosevelt (26th), William Howard Taft (27th), and Woodrow Wilson (28th).
|
2013 William McKinley Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,760,000 | 3,365,100 | 1,488,798 |
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2013 Theodore Roosevelt Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 5,310,700 | 3,920,000 | 1,503,943 |
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2013 William Howard Taft Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,760,000 | 3,360,000 | 1,488,798 |
|
2013 Woodrow Wilson Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,620,000 | 3,360,000 | 1,488,798 |
2014
Featured presidents include Warren G. Harding (29th), Calvin Coolidge (30th), Herbert Hoover (31st), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd).
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2014 Warren G. Harding Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 6,160,000 | 3,780,000 | 1,373,569 |
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2014 Calvin Coolidge Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,480,000 | 3,780,000 | 1,373,569 |
|
2014 Herbert Hoover Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,480,000 | 3,780,000 | 1,373,569 |
|
2014 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,760,000 | 3,920,000 | 1,392,619 |
2015
Featured presidents include Harry S. Truman (33rd), Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th), John F. Kennedy (35th), and Lyndon B. Johnson (36th). All 2015 Coin & Chronicles Sets included Reverse Proofs struck in Philadelphia.
Featured Mint Products
|
2015 Harry S. Truman Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Reverse Proof P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,900,000 | 16,812 | 3,500,000 | 1,272,232 |
|
2015 Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Reverse Proof P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 4,900,000 | 16,744 | 3,645,998 | 1,272,232 |
|
2015 John F. Kennedy Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Reverse Proof P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 6,160,000 | 49,051 | 5,180,000 | 1,272,232 |
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2015 Lyndon Johnson Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Reverse Proof P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 7,840,000 | 23,905 | 4,200,000 | 1,272,232 |
2016
Since Public Law 109-145 ended the Presidential $1 Coin Program when all eligible honorees had been featured, 2016 was the last contiguous year of the series. Only three presidents were commemorated this year: Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Ronald Reagan. The designs were announced on December 7, 2015.
Featured Mint Products
|
2016 Richard M. Nixon Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S | |
| 5,460,000 | 4,340,000 | 1,196,582 | |
|
2016 Gerald Ford Presidential $1 Coin |
||
| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S |
| 5,460,000 | 5,040,000 | 1,196,582 |
|
2016 Ronald Reagan Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Proof S | Reverse Proof S |
| 7,140,000 | 5,880,000 | 1,196,582 | 47,447 |
2020
President George Herbert Walker Bush died on November 30, 2018 – two years after the end of the program as authorized by Public Law 109-145. The 2020 George H.W. Bush Presidential Dollar and 2020 Barbara Bush First Spouse coin and medal were authorized by Public Law 116–112 (PDF link) on January 27, 2020.
The 2020 George H.W. Bush Coin & Chronicles Set included a Reverse Proof from San Francisco.
|
2020 George H.W. Bush Presidential $1 Coin |
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| Unc. P | Unc. D | Reverse Proof S | |
| 1,458,725 | 1,444,700 | 11,305 | |
Design
Obverse Inscriptions:
Each of the four annual Presidential Dollars from 2007 through 2016 (and the 2020 George H.W. Bush Dollar) has a unique obverse design. All feature the name of the respective president clockwise along the rim at the top and the title “1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.” PRESIDENT followed by the president’s years in office counterclockwise at the bottom. Starting in 2009, the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST was removed from the edge and placed first in the sequence of inscriptions at the bottom.
Common Reverse:
Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart’s design features an ant’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty offset to the left. On the coin, Liberty occupies the bottom right quadrant of the coin, her extended elbow being the coin’s center point. The design is framed by a thin inner circle, which separates the graphic design from the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Beneath Liberty’s extended torch-bearing arm is the denomination $1.
Fun Fact: The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in the font ITC Benguiat, which fans of the Netflix show Stranger Things may recognize.
Edge:
The edge of the Presidential Dollar is lettered and features the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, the mintmark (P, D, or S), the year of issuance, and 13 five-pointed stars.
Coins dated 2007 and 2008 also include the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the edge. The motto was moved to the obverse starting in 2009 with the William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollar.
Common Reverse Designer
Don Everhart joined the United States Mint in 2004 after a long and successful career as a sculptor and designer of medals – including at the Franklin Mint. He retired in July 2017 and now participates in the Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) (View Designer’s Profile).
Coin Specifications
| Presidential Dollar | |
| Years of Issue: | 2007-16, 2020 |
| Mintage (Business Strike/Uncirculated): | High: 176,680,000 (2007-P Washington); Low: 3,360,000 (tie: 2013-D Taft and Wilson) |
| Mintage (Proof): | High: 3,965,989 (tie: 2007-S Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison); Low: 1,196,582 (tie: 2016-S Nixon, Ford, and Reagan) |
| Mintage (Reverse Proof): | High: 49,051 (2015-P Kennedy); Low: 11,305 (2020-S Bush) |
| Alloy: | .770 copper, .120 zinc, 0.070 manganese, 0.040 nickel |
| Weight: | 8.10 g |
| Diameter: | 26.55 mm |
| Edge: | Lettered: * * * * * * * * * * date mintmark * * * E PLURIBUS UNUM |
| REV Designer: | Don Everhart |
| Quality: | Business Strike, Uncirculated, Specimen, Proof, Reverse Proof |
* * *