Introduction

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 called for a new series of commemorative dollar coins to be minted by the U.S. Mint. Hoping to help dollar coins circulate more commonly than recent predecessors, the Sacagawea, Susan B. Anthony, and Eisenhower dollars, each coin is to be minted for a short time period and feature a different American president. As with the immensely successful 50 State Quarters® Program, the Presidential Dollars Program is also designed to educate and create more interest in coin collecting.

Although identical in composition to the Sacagawea dollars, the Presidential Dollars have notable changes to their designs that differentiate them from other coins. First, the date and mottos, "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum" (of many, one) have been moved to the edge of the coin, which marks the first time an American coin has had design elements on the edge since the last $20 Gold Double Eagles were struck in 1933. With these features moved, there is more space on each face of the coin to allow for a larger portrait on the obverse and the Statue of Liberty on the reverse. Additionally, the word Liberty is being replaced, not accompanied, by the allegorical depiction of Liberty.

Each year, beginning in 2007, four new dollars will be released by the mint, approximately one every 13 weeks. The coins will be released in the order of presidencies, and feature a bust of the featured president, along with his name, position in the order of presidencies (ex. 1st president), and years served. Presidents serving non-consecutive terms will be issued more than one coin--one for each term--and presidents still alive when their turn to be honored has come will not be placed on coins at that time. Legislation has called for the presidential dollars to be produced and circulate in tandem with Sacagawea dollars.

Accompanying each Presidential Dollar will be a $10 gold first lady commemorative. These coins, not designed to circulate, honor the spouses of the presidents, should the president have been married while in office. The dollars of presidents who were not married in office will be accompanied by gold coins featuring a figure seen on a coin which circulated during that president's tenure.

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Specifications

The Presidential Dollar coins will be produced from the same blanks as the Sacagawea dollar:

Weight: 0.286 oz. (8.1g)
Diameter: 1.043 in. (26.5mm)
Thickness: 0.0787 in. (2.0mm)
Edge: "In God We Trust," "E Pluribus Unum," and the year of issue
Composition: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, 2% Nickel

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The Designs

Each Presidential Dollar will have a unique obverse while sharing a common reverse.

Obverse
Bust of the President
Name of President
Years of Presidency
Order of Presidency (ex. 1st President)
 
Reverse (common to all coins)
Statue of Liberty
"United States of America"
Denomination
 

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Methods of Manufacture

Each Presidential Dollar will be struck three ways:

Business strikes are lustrous and struck for circulation and rolls.
Satin Finish coins have a matte appearance and are struck for inclusion in yearly mint sets.
Proofs are struck with specially prepared dies and blanks to give the fields (flat portions) deep mirrors, while the devices (raised portions) are frosty, creating a cameo effect. These pieces are struck for inclusion in yearly proof sets.

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Schedule

Four Presidential Dollars will be released each year, following this schedule:

Year     President  Years Served 

2007 
  1  George Washington  1789-1797 
  2  John Adams  1797-1801 
  3  Thomas Jefferson  1801-1809 
  4  James Madison  1809-1817 
  
2008 
  5  James Monroe  1817-1825 
  6  John Quincy Adams  1825-1829 
  7  Andrew Jackson  1829-1837 
  8  Martin Van Buren  1837-1841 
  
2009 
   9  William Henry Harrison  1841 
  10  John Tyler  1841-1845 
  11  James K. Polk  1845-1849 
  12  Zachary Taylor  1849-1850 
  
2010 
  13  Millard Fillmore  1850-1853 
  14  Franklin Pierce  1853-1857 
  15  James Buchanan  1857-1861 
  16  Abraham Lincoln  1861-1865 
  
2011 
  17  Andrew Johnson  1865-1869 
  18  Ulysses S. Grant  1869-1877 
  19  Rutherford B. Hayes  1877-1881 
  20  James A. Garfield  1881 
  
2012 
  21  Chester A. Arthur  1881-1885 
  22  Grover Cleveland  1885-1889 
  23  Benjamin Harrison  1889-1893 
  24  Grover Cleveland  1893-1897 
  
2013 
  25  William McKinley  1897-1901 
  26  Theodore Roosevelt  1901-1909 
  27  William Howard Taft  1909-1913 
  28  Woodrow Wilson  1913-1921 
  
2014 
  29  Warren Harding  1921-1923 
  30  Calvin Coolidge  1923-1929 
  31  Herbert Hoover  1929-1933 
  32  Franklin D. Roosevelt  1933-1945 
  
2015 
  33  Harry S. Truman  1945-1953 
  34  Dwight D. Eisenhower  1953-1961 
  35  John F. Kennedy  1961-1963 
  36  Lyndon B. Johnson  1963-1969 
  
2016 
  37  Richard M. Nixon  1969-1974 
  38 Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
  40 Ronald Reagan 1981-1989

*Only deceased presidents will be honored on Presidential Dollars

We hope you have found this information helpful. Happy collecting!