WSJ -- new $1 coins begin next year / images of presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon (!)
November 20, 2006
Change for a Dollar: Presidential Coin Series
By GREG HITT
WASHINGTON -- Those Americans who flipped over the issuance of special quarters honoring all 50 states soon will get a new way to satisfy their passion for coins: presidential dollars.
In a ceremony today at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Edmund C. Moy, the director of the U.S. Mint, will offer the first look at the new series of $1 coins that will be put into circulation starting next year. The program will honor U.S. presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon. Living current and former presidents aren't eligible. The program is modeled on the state quarter program. "We're hoping to build on that success," Mr. Moy said.
Four presidential coins will be released each year, starting in 2007. First commemorated will be George Washington, followed by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. All coins will be released in the order the presidents served, which means Grover Cleveland -- the only president to serve two non-consecutive -- will get two coins.
The coins will feature a distinctive design. Inscriptions such as "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust" will be pressed into the rim of the coin instead of the face. The face of each new presidential coin will feature an image of the former president and his years in office; the other side will show the Statue of Liberty, and the inscriptions "The United States of America" and "$1."
The Mint is issuing the presidential coins as currency, adding to the Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony dollar coins already in circulation. The new coins will have the same color and size as the Sacagawea coins. It is anticipated the new presidential coins -- as with the popular state quarters -- will prompt a significant interest among collectors. "One thing we learned is how Americans love to have a series of coins," Mr. Moy said.
He added the coins will have educational value for students, prompting new interest in some of the nation's more obscure leaders. People "know a lot about George Washington," he said. But now, "they are going to learn a lot about President Fillmore and President Van Buren."
Write to Greg Hitt at greg.hitt@wsj.com
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