Feb 19
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Spare Change Episode 8: Presidential Dollar Coins

Coin TV Comments: 2

The eighth chapter in the Spare Change series is about the U.S. one dollar coins featuring U.S. presidents. To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with these coins. I have not been keeping track of them for some time but I do recall that in the first year there were many error varieties of these coins. The prices they were being sold on eBay were crazy ($2,000 for a Washington dollar without the words on the rim). I couldn't help but wonder if the mint was making mistakes or if these were done deliberately to fuel the fire among collectors. Throughout the 80s and 90s, I rarely saw Eisenhower Dollars or Susan B. Anthony coins circulating. When Sacajawea dollars were first introduced I saw them circulating a little bit for about 3 months and since then it has been pretty rare. I have yet to receive a dollar coin of any president as change though I do hope maybe one day I will. Recently, I was browsing eBay and I saw that some companies have colorized these coins and although some collectors might consider that ruining the coin, others are finding them to be a unique collectible. Check out the colorized dollar coins.


Some facts from Spare Change Episode 8.

  • Four coins are released per year starting in 2007. The presidents are showing up on the coins in the order they were sworn into office.
  • The presidential dollar coins weigh 8.1 grams each, consisting of 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 2% Nickel and 3.5% Manganese
  • The intrinsic value, or melt value, is less than 6 cents using today's market values.
  • From 2007-2009, "In God We Trust" was on the edge of the coin. In 2009, the mint moved "In God We Trust" to the lower side of the obverse. The edge now has the year, mint mark and stars
  • There is a companion commemorative gold coin with the First Lady for each corresponding presidential dollar coin.

written by Nicholas


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