Dollar · 2007–2020

Presidential Dollar

A portrait of a U.S. president on a golden-colored coin, with four different presidents honored each year in order of service. The Statue of Liberty with the denomination $1.

Designer

Various (obverse portraits); Don Everhart (Statue of Liberty reverse)

Diameter

26.5 mm

Edge

Lettered (date, mint mark, and mottos on the edge; IN GOD WE TRUST moved to the front in 2009)

Mint mark

On the edge of the coin, alongside the date

Composition

2007–2020: Manganese-brass clad ('golden dollar') · 8.1 g

Did you know? When some 2007 Washington dollars escaped without their edge lettering — including IN GOD WE TRUST — the press dubbed them 'Godless dollars' and a national frenzy followed.

Beginner tip: Always inspect the edge on 2007-2008 coins: missing or doubled edge lettering is where nearly all the valuable errors in this series hide.

Key dates to look for

2012-P Presidential

$4+ uncirculated

From 2012 on, struck only for collector sets, not circulation

2020-P Presidential

$4+ uncirculated

George H.W. Bush — the final coin of the program, issued after his death

Valuable varieties & errors

2007 George Washington 'Godless' Dollar

scarce

$25 – $150

Tens of thousands of the very first Presidential dollars missed the edge-lettering step, so they left the Mint with a completely blank edge — no date, no mint mark, and no IN GOD WE TRUST. Newspapers nicknamed them 'Godless dollars.'

How to check: Take any 2007 George Washington dollar and look at its edge. A normal coin has the date, mint mark, and mottos incused around the edge; the error coin's edge is totally smooth and blank. Beware of coins with the lettering filed off — filed edges look scratched and undersized.

2007 John Adams Doubled Edge Lettering

scarce

$75 – $300

Some John Adams dollars went through the edge-lettering machine twice, stamping the inscription two times around the edge. The two passes can overlap in the same direction or run in opposite directions.

How to check: Roll a 2007 John Adams dollar slowly and read the edge. On the error you'll see two sets of lettering — overlapping letters, or one inscription upside down relative to the other. Coins with the two passes inverted from each other are the scarcer kind.

Error types found on this series

Improperly Annealed Planchet

A heat-treatment mistake turned the blank's surface an unusual color — most famously the coppery-red 'sintered' state quarters and dollars.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Blank Planchet

A blank disc of coin metal that skipped the presses entirely and escaped the mint unstruck.

Machine Doubling

The die bounced or chattered at the moment of striking, smearing a flat shelf-like second edge onto the design.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

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