President Donald Trump’s portrait has appeared on a US coin. This marks the first time in nearly a century that the image of a living US president has been featured on the country’s currency.
On Wednesday (September 2), the US Mint released a special $1 coin bearing Trump’s portrait to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Alongside Trump’s image, the coin features the inscriptions “Liberty” and “In God We Trust.”
The US Mint stated that this special edition coin embodies “the spirit, pride, and heritage of a nation on the threshold of its 250th anniversary.”
According to a BBC report, the coins were listed for sale on the Mint’s website at $61 for a roll of 25 coins and $154.50 for a bag of 100 coins.
Within hours of sales opening, the coins were marked as “currently out of stock” on the US Mint’s website. The BBC has contacted the US Mint, the US Treasury Department, and the White House for further details.
The US Mint stated that the coin was created to “celebrate this historic national milestone.” Describing it as a “once-in-a-generation” anniversary design, the agency noted that it would become a special attraction for modern collectors.
The coins were also being sold via vending machines at the US Mint store in Washington, D.C. Although the coins appear gold in color, they do not contain any actual gold.
According to US Mint data, the coin is composed of 88.5 percent copper, with the remainder consisting of zinc, manganese, and nickel.
Earlier, in May, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had announced plans to issue a new $250 banknote featuring Trump’s portrait.
US federal law prohibits printing banknotes bearing the image of a living person. However, members of Congress who support Trump have proposed legislation to create an exception to this rule. Although the proposal is currently stalled,
Besant noted at the time that another sitting U.S. president had previously appeared on the country’s coinage. A half-dollar coin issued in 1926 to mark America’s 150th anniversary bore the likeness of the then-President, Calvin Coolidge.
The Trump administration also cited the ‘Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act’ of 2020. This law, passed during Trump’s first term, prohibits the use of a living person’s likeness on the reverse side (tails side) of a coin.
However, the law contains no explicit prohibition against using the likeness of a living person on the obverse side (heads side). It is precisely on this front side that Trump’s portrait appears on the new one-dollar coin.
Additionally, the use of a living person’s portrait on U.S. banknotes is prohibited under the ‘Thayer Amendment’ of 1866; however, this provision has traditionally not applied to coins.
