Historic Change
By Brother Rogers
Take a close look at your change the next time you make a purchase. The U.S. Mint has begun issuing presidential $1 coins honoring George Washington. My son and I picked up a roll at a local bank to give to boys in his Cub Scout den.
For the first time in history, the U.S. Mint is honoring America’s presidents with a unique series of $1 presidential coins. Modeled after the popular 50 State Quarters Program, the new $1 coins will commemorate the service of U.S. presidents in the order in which they served.
The coins featuring George Washington are already in circulation. Later this year, coins honoring John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison will be issued. Each year, four more coins depicting former presidents will be issued at three month intervals. The last president to be honored will be Gerald Ford, whose likeness on a dollar coin is scheduled for release in 2016.
It is federal law that no living man or woman can appear on a U.S. coin, which is why the sequence will not feature Jimmy Carter, who is alive and well at present.
Presidents who served consecutive terms will only get one coin, but Grover Cleveland, the one president who served two non-consecutive terms, will be featured twice. (He was the 22nd and 24th president).
The presidential dollars are the same size and color as the golden dollar that showcases Sacagawea, the young Indian woman who helped Lewis and Clark on their historic journey. But unlike the Sacagawea dollar or any other U.S. coins, the presidential dollar coins have writing on their edges. To leave plenty of room for the presidential likeness on the face, the edges contain “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust” plus the year of minting. This edge lettering is unique among U.S. coins.
The face of each presidential $1 coin will feature an image of a former president, his sequence number and the years of service. For example, the next $1 coin will have on its face “John Adams,” “2nd President,” “1797-1801.”
Interestingly, the U.S. Mint will continue to mint and issue the Sacagawea dollar along with the rotating design of the presidential $1 coins. There are no plans to phase out or eliminate the one dollar bill, which could inhibit the acceptance of the presidential $1 coins.
Many citizens have been collecting the state quarters, and a lot of Americans will probably collect the presidential dollars. Whether they will catch on with the public remains to be seen. But they are fun to spend. I have started leaving the George Washington dollars as tips in restaurants.
If you want to start a collection, now is the time to begin. For more information, visit the web site www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin. Meanwhile, be on the lookout for historic change.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
Take a close look at your change the next time you make a purchase. The U.S. Mint has begun issuing presidential $1 coins honoring George Washington. My son and I picked up a roll at a local bank to give to boys in his Cub Scout den.
For the first time in history, the U.S. Mint is honoring America’s presidents with a unique series of $1 presidential coins. Modeled after the popular 50 State Quarters Program, the new $1 coins will commemorate the service of U.S. presidents in the order in which they served.
The coins featuring George Washington are already in circulation. Later this year, coins honoring John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison will be issued. Each year, four more coins depicting former presidents will be issued at three month intervals. The last president to be honored will be Gerald Ford, whose likeness on a dollar coin is scheduled for release in 2016.
It is federal law that no living man or woman can appear on a U.S. coin, which is why the sequence will not feature Jimmy Carter, who is alive and well at present.
Presidents who served consecutive terms will only get one coin, but Grover Cleveland, the one president who served two non-consecutive terms, will be featured twice. (He was the 22nd and 24th president).
The presidential dollars are the same size and color as the golden dollar that showcases Sacagawea, the young Indian woman who helped Lewis and Clark on their historic journey. But unlike the Sacagawea dollar or any other U.S. coins, the presidential dollar coins have writing on their edges. To leave plenty of room for the presidential likeness on the face, the edges contain “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust” plus the year of minting. This edge lettering is unique among U.S. coins.
The face of each presidential $1 coin will feature an image of a former president, his sequence number and the years of service. For example, the next $1 coin will have on its face “John Adams,” “2nd President,” “1797-1801.”
Interestingly, the U.S. Mint will continue to mint and issue the Sacagawea dollar along with the rotating design of the presidential $1 coins. There are no plans to phase out or eliminate the one dollar bill, which could inhibit the acceptance of the presidential $1 coins.
Many citizens have been collecting the state quarters, and a lot of Americans will probably collect the presidential dollars. Whether they will catch on with the public remains to be seen. But they are fun to spend. I have started leaving the George Washington dollars as tips in restaurants.
If you want to start a collection, now is the time to begin. For more information, visit the web site www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin. Meanwhile, be on the lookout for historic change.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
