Overview
In 2007, the US Mint will initiate the brand new Presidential $1 Dollar Program.  This program will introduce four new one dollar coins every year, each dedicated to a former US President.

Given the incredible success of the US State Quarter Program, one of the hot topics is thinking about how to approach collecting the new US President $1 Dollar coins.  This guide is designed to introduce collectors to the new program, explain the different coins that will available, and some thoughts on how to think about collecting the new coins.

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Background on the Presidential Dollar Program

First of all, there is quite a bit of material about the new program on the US Mint website.

The Presidential $1 Coin Program (Public Law 109-145; 119 Stat. 2664) is an Act of Congress that directs the United States Mint to produce $1 coins with engravings of the United States Presidents on the obverse.

The coins will be issued in the order that each President served, at the rate of four per year.  As per current law, there will be no coins issued for living former Presidents.

The first four coins will be issued in 2007, and will feature the following US Presidents:

• George Washington
• John Adams
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison

A complete list of the US Presidents and dates can be found at the end of this guide.

Design of the Coins
The composition and size of the new Presidential dollar coins is identical to the existing Sacagawea golden dollar.  The design, however, has a number of unique elements.



The reverse of the coin will feature the Statue of Liberty.



The front of the coin will feature the name and portrait of each US President, with the years served. 



One of the most interesting features of the new design is the inscription of text on the edge of the coin.  The date, the phrase "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust" will be not be present on either face of the coin, but will appear in raised letters on the edge.  This particular feature will lend a different "pocket feel" to this coin as opposed to others that have solid or reeded edges.

Collectible Editions
The standard design of the coin will be based on the manganese-brass clad composition of the existing dollar coins.

The US Mint has not publicly announced the various collectible versions of these coins to expect, however, based on the US State Quarter program, it is safe to assume that these coins will be featured in the following sets:

• Presidential Dollar annual proof set
• Full US Coin annual proof set
• Full US Coins annual silver proof set

There has been some discussion over whether or not the US Mint will release true silver-based versions of the Presidential dollars.  I will update this guide with more information as it becomes available.  I personally hope that they do issue these coins in bullion quality silver, as precious metals add a distinct longevity and value to coin series.

Update (1/17/2007):  The US Mint has published their product list for 2007 through May 15th, and it looks like February 15th is the date of release for both the George Washington dollars and the United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set.  No mention of a silver version, yet.

The US Mint has also announced that they will be producing for each US President a companion $10 bullion gold coin of the  "First Lady" for each President, with specific handling for the few situations where a President served in office without a spouse.

Update (12/29/2006):  I have written a new eBay Guide on the 24K Gold First Spouse Program Coins if you are interested in more detail on that program.

Schedule & Mintage
The US Mint has not revealed expected mintage for these coins at this time.  However, they have published a schedule for the US Presidents.  I'm providing it here for reference, and I will update it with mintage numbers when they become available.

2007:
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison

2008:
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren

2009:
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
James K. Polk
Zachary Taylor

2010:
Millard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln

2011:
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield

2012:
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
Grover Cleveland

2013:
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson

2014:
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt

2015:
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson

2016:
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan (?)

2016 and beyond (order uncertain)
    Jimmy Carter*, George H. W. Bush*, Bill Clinton*, George W. Bush*, future Presidents*

* If these Presidents or former Presidents are still alive, they will not be honored on the $1 coin. No former President will be depicted on a coin within two years of his death. The timing of the honoring of currently-living Presidents could vary, depending on which of them are still alive when the time comes.

Once the program has terminated, continuation of the series for non-honored Presidents (who have died and were not included in this series) will require another act of Congress (31 USC 5112(n)(8)).

Thoughts on Collecting
I've written another guide on Collecting the US State Quarters.  In it, I argue that there will be opportunity for collectors to collect coins that are popular, but have low mintage.  If the US President coins are minted based on the Federal Reserve money supply needs, then there will be opportunities to buy popular (or semi-popular) Presidents with low mintage. 

There will also likely be opportunities to collect the whole set, like the State Quarters, with traditional vehicles like the silver proof sets starting in 1999.  There will also be specific presidents that are likely to very popular with certain demographic groups (Ronald Reagan, for example).

I am not optimistic about the "First Lady" coins.  They will be low mintage, but they will also be expensive and are unlikely to be compelling except in a few specific cases (Eleanor Roosevelt, for example).

Update (12/29/2006):  I have written a new eBay Guide on the 24K Gold First Spouse Program Coins if you are interested in more detail on that program.

Update (02/07/2007):  The launch date of the new Presidential $1 Dollar Coins has been set for February 15th, with the George Washington dollar.  The US mint website has more information about dates and availability of rolls, bags, and the new Presidential $1 Dollar Coin 2007 Proof Set.

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