U.S. Mint puts $1 Trump coins on sale

Featuring Trump’s official White House portrait, the coins were designed to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.

fact

They are the first released in a slate of Trump-adorned currency announced by the Treasury.

fact

Some Democrats and coin collectors have questioned the legality of the coins, pointing to a federal law allowing “only the portrait of a deceased individual” to appear on U.S. currency and securities.

fact

On Wednesday, the US Mint launched the $1 (£0.74) coin with a portrait of Trump alongside the words "Liberty" and "In God We Trust", to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.

fact

While they are not in circulation, they can be used as legal tender to pay off debt and taxes, although federal law states that businesses can decide whether or not to accept them.

fact

Just after 12:30 p.m., visitors to the mint’s website were placed in a waiting area for an estimated time of 1 hour.

fact

There was a limit of two purchases per household until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, with visitors instructed that they’d have 10 minutes to complete their purchase.

fact

There was a limit of two purchases per household until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, with visitors instructed that they’d have 10 minutes to complete their purchase.

fact

Trump $1 Coins with a special-issue ‘July 4th’ privy mark have been randomly included in the Rolls & Bags.

fact

The mint noted a “special offering” in the description of the coin: “250,000 Semiquincentennial President Donald J.

fact

But the decision to put a sitting president on the coin has raised legal questions because federal law generally restricts living presidents from appearing on $1 coins.

fact

Not to be confused with Trump’s crypto-based meme coin, the gold-colored dollar coin featuring Trump’s face is being minted as part of broader 250th anniversary celebrations.

fact

The Trump administration has been periodically floating design ideas for a U.S. coin featuring the president since 2025.

fact

Both sides of the coin have inscriptions that commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year.

fact

Collectors didn’t seem to mind the markup, though: On Thursday, the coins were “currently unavailable” online, mere hours after going on sale, with no indication if or when they might be restocked.

fact

Legislation dating from the 19th century prohibits the depiction of living people — presidents included — on U.S. currency, while 2005 legislation to produce commemorative $1 presidential coins stipulated that a former president could not appear on one until at least two years after death.

fact

“If they make it without our review, it will be illegal,” committee member Donald Scarinci (D-N.Y.) told The Washington Post in June, in response to a proposal for a 24-karat gold coin bearing Trump's image.

fact

For the nation’s 150th anniversary, a commemorative half-dollar coin depicting Calvin Coolidge and George Washington was produced, although most of the 1 million minted were returned to the Mint and melted down.

fact

The country’s 250th anniversary has been a bonanza for coin collectors, with the Mint rolling out a number of commemorative designs.

fact

The coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint as part of the U.S. Mint’s America’s 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) program.

fact

A separate product, a 24-karat, one-ounce Trump gold proof coin approved by the Commission of Fine Arts in March 2026, is a completely different item.

fact

They are mostly copper, with zinc, manganese and nickel, the same general composition as prior “golden dollar” coins such as the Sacagawea dollar.

fact

Actual gold, for reference, closed near $4,383 an ounce on Wednesday.

fact

Federal law states that “Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities,” a rule Congress passed in 1866 after Treasury official Spencer M. Clark put his own face on a five-cent note.

fact

University of Michigan consumer sentiment sits at 55.2 in July 2026, still below the 60 threshold the survey associates with recessionary readings. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, reacting in July, put it this way: “Americans voted for lower costs on day 1. Not Donald Trump’s face on a $1 coin.”

fact

But the finished product unveiled Wednesday differs from that version in a few aspects, including that it is not made of gold but rather has a gold finish.

fact

The move to put his face on the gold coin has drawn criticism in particular because federal law prohibits the depiction of a living president on U.S. currency, though the treasury secretary has the authority to authorize the minting and issuance of coins in some circumstances.

fact

The reverse side depicts the traditional image of the bald eagle in the Great Seal of the U.S., with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on the top half of the coin and the Latin phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” meaning “Out of many, one,” on the shield emblazoned on the bird’s breast.

fact

Traditionally, U.S. paper currency carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer, not the president.

fact