The $1 coins featuring U.S. Presidents are called Presidential Dollar Coins, and the series honors 48 deceased presidents in the order they served, from George Washington to Richard Nixon, plus a final 2020 release for Gerald Ford.
If you’ve ever received a gold-colored dollar coin as change and wondered which president is on it, you’re not alone. The U.S. Mint’s Presidential $1 Coin Program ran from 2007 to 2016 with a single follow-up in 2020, producing coins that are now collector favorites rather than pocket-change staples. Below is the full breakdown of every president featured, the rare errors that make some worth thousands, and which designs are actually worth searching for.
How Many Presidents Are on Dollar Coins?
The main series ran from 2007 to 2016, releasing four coins per year in the chronological order of their presidential terms. A final coin featuring Gerald R. Ford was added in 2020.
The law that created the program — the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 — prohibits coins from featuring any living president or any president who died less than two years before release.
Complete List of Presidents on Dollar Coins (2007–2020)
Every coin in the series shares a consistent design: a three-quarter portrait of the president on the front and the Statue of Liberty on the back. The edge carries the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and the year plus mint mark.
The table below shows every president honored, their release year, term number, and notable design details.
| President | Term | Release Year | Mint Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 1st | 2007 | P, D |
| John Adams | 2nd | 2007 | P, D |
| Thomas Jefferson | 3rd | 2007 | P, D |
| James Madison | 4th | 2007 | P, D |
| James Monroe | 5th | 2008 | P, D |
| John Quincy Adams | 6th | 2008 | P, D |
| Andrew Jackson | 7th | 2008 | P, D |
| Martin Van Buren | 8th | 2008 | P, D |
| William Henry Harrison | 9th | 2009 | P, D |
| John Tyler | 10th | 2009 | P, D |
| James K. Polk | 11th | 2009 | P, D |
| Zachary Taylor | 12th | 2009 | P, D |
| Millard Fillmore | 13th | 2010 | P, D |
| Franklin Pierce | 14th | 2010 | P, D |
| James Buchanan | 15th | 2010 | P, D |
| Abraham Lincoln | 16th | 2010 | P, D |
| Andrew Johnson | 17th | 2011 | P, D |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 18th | 2011 | P, D |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 19th | 2011 | P, D |
| James A. Garfield | 20th | 2011 | P, D |
| Chester A. Arthur | 21st | 2012 | P, D |
| Grover Cleveland | 22nd / 24th | 2012 | P, D |
| Benjamin Harrison | 23rd | 2012 | P, D |
| William McKinley | 25th | 2013 | P, D |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 26th | 2013 | P, D |
| William Howard Taft | 27th | 2013 | P, D |
| Woodrow Wilson | 28th | 2013 | P, D |
| Warren G. Harding | 29th | 2014 | P, D |
| Calvin Coolidge | 30th | 2014 | P, D |
| Herbert Hoover | 31st | 2014 | P, D |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 32nd | 2014 | P, D |
| Harry S. Truman | 33rd | 2015 | P, D |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 34th | 2015 | P, D |
| John F. Kennedy | 35th | 2015 | P, D |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 36th | 2015 | P, D |
| Richard M. Nixon | 37th | 2016 | P, D |
| Gerald R. Ford | 38th | 2020 | P, D |
Which Presidential Dollar Coins Are Worth the Most?
Most Presidential Dollars circulate at face value, but mint errors — especially missing edge lettering — create significant premium. The most valuable known example is the 2009 S William Henry Harrison Special Mint Set (SMS) coin with missing edge lettering, graded 69 out of 70, which has sold for as high as $2,450.
The 2007 S Thomas Jefferson SMS with missing edge lettering, graded 67, is valued around $600. Regular-issue coins from Philadelphia (P) or Denver (D) in typical circulated condition are worth only face value.
If you’re hunting through pocket change or old coin rolls, look for coins with a smooth edge that lacks any lettering — those are the error coins collectors pay real money for. For a hand-picked selection of the most collectible American president dollar coins, browse our tested roundup of top Presidential Dollar coins.
Are Presidential Dollar Coins Still Being Made?
No. The program officially ended in 2016 with the release of Richard M. Nixon. The only addition after that was Gerald R. Ford in 2020, released under separate authorization. The U.S. Mint has not announced any plans to add more presidents, and 31 U.S.C. § 5112 still prohibits coins featuring living presidents or those deceased less than two years.
The series skipped presidents who were still alive during the program — Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden are not and cannot be on a Presidential Dollar under current law.
How These Coins Compare to Other Presidential Coins
People often confuse Presidential Dollars with other U.S. coins that honor presidents. A quick breakdown clarifies what’s what.
| Coin | Denomination | President Featured | Years Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential Dollar | $1 | 48 presidents (George Washington to Gerald Ford) | 2007–2016, 2020 |
| Half Dollar (Kennedy) | 50¢ | John F. Kennedy | 1964–present |
| Quarter (Washington) | 25¢ | George Washington | 1932–present |
| Dime (Roosevelt) | 10¢ | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1946–present |
| Penny (Lincoln) | 1¢ | Abraham Lincoln | 1909–present |
| Nickel (Jefferson) | 5¢ | Thomas Jefferson | 1938–present |
Common Misconceptions About Presidential Dollar Coins
Some key facts get mixed up regularly, especially when comparing these coins to other well-known U.S. denominations. Franklin D. Roosevelt is on the dime, not the Presidential Dollar series. John F. Kennedy appears on the half-dollar, not the $1 coin.
George Washington is also on the quarter — but in the Presidential Dollar series, he’s on the $1 coin with a different three-quarter portrait. The dollar coin’s smooth edge is another point of confusion: older dollar coins like the Eisenhower had a reeded (grooved) edge, but the Presidential Dollar is smooth with edge lettering.
Final Facts About Presidents on Dollar Coins
Each is legal tender at $1 face value, made of the same golden-colored manganese-brass as the Sacagawea dollar. Most are worth exactly $1, but error coins with missing edge lettering can fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars at auction.
FAQs
Why don’t modern presidents appear on dollar coins?
Federal law (31 U.S.C. § 5112) prohibits any coin from depicting a living president or one who died less than two years before the coin’s design. That rule prevented Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and other living former presidents from appearing in the series when it ran from 2007 to 2016.
Is the gold color real gold or just plating?
The golden color comes from the metal blend — 77.5% copper, 20% zinc, and 2.5% nickel — not from any gold content. The exact same manganese-brass alloy is used for the Sacagawea dollar. The coins contain no precious metal.
Can I still use Presidential Dollars at stores?
Yes, they are legal tender worth $1. But many businesses and vending machines don’t accept them because the smooth edge can confuse coin sorting mechanisms. Most stores will accept them if you ask, but they rarely circulate in regular commerce.
Which Presidential Dollar is the hardest to find?
The 2020 Gerald R. Ford coin had the lowest mintage of the entire series because it was released as a single issue years after the main program ended. In circulation, any Ford dollar is notably harder to find than the earlier 2007–2016 issues.
Do I need to save every Presidential Dollar I find?
Regular-issue coins from Philadelphia or Denver mints in circulated condition are worth just $1. Only error coins — especially those missing edge lettering — and coins from San Francisco Special Mint Sets carry significant premiums. A quick check of the edge lettering tells you if you have something special.
References & Sources
- Commission of Fine Arts. “Presidential One Dollar Coins.” Official program details and design approval history.
- Wikipedia. “Presidential dollar coins.” Complete coin list, release schedule, and mintage data.
- JM Bullion. “Which Presidential Dollar Coins Are Rare And Valuable?” Error coin values and grading guide.