Dead Presidents, now in gold!

[dougo]

Following the success of the State Quarters program, the US Mint will be releasing Presidential $1 coins starting this year with the first four US Presidents (Washington through Madison) and four per year until... I guess until they catch up with the current President? Or maybe there's some rule about only dead ones, or only five years out of office like the Baseball Hall of Fame. Anyway, I'm not looking forward to having to carry Reagan coins, let alone GWB. But Chester A. "Muttonchops" Arthur will be fun. And Grover Cleveland gets two different coins, apparently!

Comments

[cnoocy]

I'm pretty sure it's illegal for a living person to appear on U.S. currency. My guess is that Nixon was the last dead president in sequence when they made the schedule. 2016 will probably be Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan. (Assuming that Carter passes away before then, though the prospect of denying Reagan a coin is yet another reason to hope he doesn't.)

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

I wonder if this woud case the first assasination by an over-eager collector?

[mattsnaps.livejournal.com]

So let's see, the first year is 2007, and there are four per year, so that means I can take a giant shit on a Bush coin in, what, 2017 or after he dies, whichever comes first?

Sweet!

[mattsnaps.livejournal.com]

Whichever comes last, that is. blah.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that you have to be dead to appear on US currency as well . . .

From the US Mint page on the States Quarters, "Regarding designs for the quarters' reverse, Public Law 105-124 specifies that 'no portrait of a living person shall be included in any design.' "

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

And from the Mint page on the Presidents Quarters, "



November 20, 2006


Back to my search


United States Mint Unveils Designs of New Circulating Presidential $1 Coins

Historic Change On The Way


En Español
Washington, DC — United States Mint Director Edmund C. Moy; Louise Roseman, Director of Reserve Bank Operations and Payments Systems at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve; and other Federal officials provided a first glimpse of a new series of circulating Presidential $1 Coins at a design unveiling ceremony held today at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery. The $1 coins are being introduced as a result of the Presidential Coin Act of 2005, which requires the United States Mint to mint the dollar coins commemorating the service of former United States Presidents in the order in which they served.

Like the United States Mint’s successful 50 State Quarters® Program on which it was modeled, the Presidential $1 Coin Program features a systematically rotating design. The first four $1 coins will commemorate George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

"The new Presidential $1 Coins are an educational and fun way to learn about former Presidents, " said Director Moy. "Our research indicates that, like the 50 State Quarters coins, the Presidential $1 Coins will be popular with millions of Americans."

According to a study commissioned by the United States Mint, about half of all Americans are interested in collecting the Presidential $1 Coins – but their appeal does not end with collecting.

"Congress recognized that the 50 State Quarters Program showed how a systematically changing design can spark public interest in a coin and we’re hoping to build on that success," Director Moy said.

Traditional Subjects, Unique Design

The designs of the coins are bold and dramatic, with traditional inscriptions moved to the edge to allow for larger images of the Presidents. These include "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust," the year of minting or issuance, and the mint mark, making these coins unique among today’s U.S. circulating coins.

The new Presidential $1 Coins are identical in color and size to the Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coins, and have the same distinctive rim and tactile features to assist the visually impaired. Additionally, the new $1 coins carry the same electromagnetic signature as both the Sacagawea Golden Dollar coin and the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, making them readily acceptable in vending machines that currently accept dollar coins.

The face of each coin will feature an image of a former President and the years of his term of office. The reverse of the coin shows an image of the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions "The United States of America" and "$1."

For downloadable images of the new Presidential $1 Coins, please click here.


Distributed through Banks and Other Financial Institutions

The United States Mint and the Federal Reserve System are working in partnership to make it easy for businesses and members of the general public to obtain the new coins as they are released. The Presidential $1 Coins will be shipped to banks and other financial institutions in rolls, unmixed with other dollar coins. For each new design, banks may order and store the coins up to two weeks prior to the introduction so they will have supplies on hand on the release date. The coins will be available in unmixed rolls for four weeks after the introduction of each design. When each new Presidential $1 Coin is released, the special ordering process begins again.

Presidential Dollar Coin Release Schedule

Each President will be honored with a single $1 coin, regardless of the number of consecutive terms he served. Grover Cleveland, the only United States President to serve non-consecutive terms, will be honored on two coins. No living former or current President can be honored on a coin. "

[dougo.livejournal.com]

"In addition to authorizing these new coins, the Presidential $1 Coin Act specifies measures to ensure that an adequate supply of $1 coins is available for commerce and collectors. It requires Federal agencies and instrumentalities (including certain nonappropriated fund instrumentalities), entities that operate any business on Federal property, the United States Postal Service, and certain transit systems to be fully capable of accepting and dispensing $1 coins and to display signs and notices of this capability."

[dougo.livejournal.com]

With $1 coins you could make a money helmet!

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the research. It's still kind of retarded that Grover Cleveland gets two coins. Maybe a Democratic congress will right that wrong! Oh wait, he was a Democrat...

On the other hand, Bill Clinton might end up with two coins too:

In addition to its recognition of the Presidents on $1 coins, the United States is honoring the First Spouses through the issuance of uncirculated and proof one-half ounce 24-karat gold $10 coins emblematic of the spouse of each President during that President’s term of service.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

And Hillary too! (took me a second to realize that it works both ways)

[prusik.livejournal.com]

Withdrawl all $1 bills from circulation. After a while, people would have to take the things.

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

Boy, Madison looks pissed.

[twistjusty.livejournal.com]

You'd be pissed too if your neighbours burned your house down.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

At all the yuppie baby girls being named after him, probably.

[lolathehated.livejournal.com]

the edge inscription looks like a cool idea. however, "Due to the minting process used on the circulating coins, the edge-incused inscription positions will vary with each coin." makes me think that some will be all messed up.

also totally digging the "first spouses" series. how politically correct. also also, this is wierd:

7 Andrew Jackson's Liberty 1829-1837
8 Martin Van Buren's Liberty 1837-1841
15 James Buchanan's Liberty 1857-1861

i.m guessing they were never married?. silly history. :)

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Jackson and Van Buren were widowers. And Buchanan's fiancee died, after which he vowed to never marry, although some speculate he was gay.

[mhnicholson.livejournal.com]

Dammit. Number One complaint for the recent (SBA and since) dollar coins: they look too much like quarters. The mint solution: Put WASHINGTON on the coin. ARGH!!!!