Hello, New Dollar!
02.15.07 By Derek Dahlsad
Today marks the launch of a new dollar coin: The Washington Dollar. Fitting as Washington also adorns the paper dollar bill, his historic place as the first president of the USA makes his visage the appropriate head to fit on the first in a series of president-themed dollar coins. Over the next ten years, a new coin will be issued for each consecutive president (with Cleveland lucking out, having been president two different times).
The format of the new presidential dollar coins matches the Sacagawea, so that coin-operated machines don’t need any fixing to accept them, and will retain the glossy gold coating. One “new” feature is the use of edge lettering: around the coin’s edge will be printed “In God We Trust,” “E Pluribus Unum,” the mint code, and the date. This marks the first time that edge lettering has been used on common US currency, although the $20 double-eagle coin was edge-lettered.
While the government unsuccessfully tried to make the Sacagawea dollar as common as the quarter, the Mint is taking a cue from the statehood quarters and hopes the presidential dollars appeal to collectors. Collectors, no doubt, hope that the Mint has learned from its Sacagawea mistakes and has figured out how to avoid the tarnishing problem that aroused complaints when the Sacagawea dollar was first issued. The statehood quarters revived significant interest in collecting US coins, most of which hadn’t changed significantly in over fifty years. The same secondary industries that have supported collectors with supplies to store and care for their statehood quarters have already produced folders for your president coins.
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Article Tags: dollar coin, edge lettering, gold coin, Washington Dollar================
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February 18th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
These “coins” look like poorly designed arcade tokens.
Look at the detail on the Sacagawea coin, not bad… now compare it to a new Washington.
Looks like it was designed and produced in about 2 weeks time.
By a High School student.
I’ll keep my paper dollars, and if they end up taking them out of circulation, I’ll stick with “4 bits”.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:58 am
Disturbingly, “they” moved the “In God We Trust” from the face to the edge, which gets worn away after some use. Perhaps we need to do this to accurately symbolize the erosion of America’s spiritual connection with God and decent morals. Or so we can show the world how we are moving God to our periphery. Just as well his Holy Name is on the edge. Look at Hollywood sleeze, Congressional antics, the self-involved Administration (take your pick). God is probably wondering why he is centered on our coins when his commandments are ignored by our leaders, tv programs, theatres, movies, books, church attendance……or our lives. We might not like the muslims but show me a Christian or Jew that stops to pray on the ground to the Lord 6 times a day. Maybe this coin will make us look at ourselves. I will not use it, and ask for paper.
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 pm
‘America’ and ’spiritual connections with God’ are not synonymous, nor should they ever be. If America’s core value is freedom, we also have the freedom to believe what we choose to, and the ‘God’ symbolized on our coins is not the God of everyone in the US. If you get a ‘God’ coin, I want a leprechaun coin, please.
Perhaps it WOULD be more appropriate to have the word ‘GOD’ all over our money, with how corrupt the church is and all. The filthiness of both is pretty synonymous.
And who said ‘we don’t like the Muslims’? Maybe YOU don’t, but I’m not one for profiling and racism. Maybe the US Mint aren’t the ones who need to be reminded of core American values, Mary.