CHARLES CITY, Va. – As the Nation paused to observe Presidents Day, the United States Mint launched the William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin in a ceremony today at the Berkeley Plantation, the former President’s home. Participants at the event were the first in the Nation to get the new $1 coin, which goes into circulation on February 19.
WASHINGTON – The United States Mint will release its ninth Presidential $1 Coin into circulation on February 19, in honor of President William Henry Harrison. Collectors can begin ordering 25-coin rolls of William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coins on the same day, February 19, at noon Eastern Time. The rolls are priced at $35.95.
WASHINGTON – Proof versions of the circulating Presidential $1 Coins scheduled to be released this year will be available in one set beginning 12 noon Eastern Time on February 10, 2009. The 2009 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set TM, priced at $14.95, contains coins honoring William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor. Each coin has a common reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty.
WASHINGTON – Today, Native American Heritage Day, the United States Mint is releasing the designs for the new 2009 Native American $1 Coin. Public Law 110-82 directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue the new $1 coin to recognize Native Americans for their contributions to the history and development of our Nation. The new coin, slated to be released into circulation in January 2009, will circulate along with the United States Mint’s Presidential $1 Coins.
“We are proud to produce the Native American $1 Coin,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “When Americans use this coin, we hope they reflect on the tremendous contributions Native Americans have made, and continue to make, to our Nation.”
Like the Presidential $1 Coins, the Native American $1 Coins will be minted in the distinctive gold-colored alloy. The coin’s obverse (heads side) will feature the Golden Dollar’s striking image of Sacagawea-the young Shoshone woman who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their historic expedition-by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. Inscriptions on the obverse are LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. The year, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are incused on the coin’s edge.
The reverse (tails side) of the Native American $1 Coin will bear a new design each year. The featured design for 2009, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Norman E. Nemeth, is based on an agricultural theme, a significant part of Native American culture. This design depicts a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash, representing the Three Sisters method of planting. Inscriptions on the reverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and $1.
Throughout the Presidential $1 Coin Program, the Native American $1 Coins will be issued in chronological order, to the greatest extent possible, of the events or persons featured. The Secretary of the Treasury approves the designs after consulting with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives, the National Congress of American Indians, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, and the Commission of Fine Arts.
The total quantity of Presidential $1 Coins and Native American $1 Coins minted and issued into circulation by the United States Mint will be sufficient to meet the Nation’s needs. As required by law, at least 20 percent of all $1 coins minted and issued in any year will be Native American $1 Coins.
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WASHINGTON – Presidential $1 Coins struck in honor of Martin Van Buren will go on sale November 13, 2008, at noon Eastern Time. Dubbed “The Red Fox of Kinderhook” for his red hair, political acumen and birthplace in New York, Martin Van Buren is the eighth President honored in the multi-year program. Produced at the United States Mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia, the Presidential $1 Coins are intended for use in routine financial transactions.
WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today released the four new portraits that will appear on the obverse (heads side) of Presidential $1 Coins in 2009. The coins honor former Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.
“We hope Americans not only appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the Presidential $1 Coins, but also remember each President’s legacy every time they use the coins in their daily transactions,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “Presidential $1 Coins are convenient to use, save the taxpayers money, and are durable and last for decades.”
Beginning with the William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin next year, “In God We Trust” will appear on the obverse of all Presidential $1 Coins. As a result, the edge lettering of the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins will be slightly different from that of 2007 and 2008. Where currently there are single dots (delimiters) between the inscriptions, in 2009 there will be three stars between “E Pluribus Unum” and the mint mark and 10 stars between the year of minting and “E Pluribus Unum.”
The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 directed the United States Mint to inscribe the year of minting or issuance, and the national mottos “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust” on the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin. In 2008, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included a provision directing the Secretary of the Treasury to move the inscription “In God We Trust” from the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin to the obverse (heads side) or reverse (tails side) of the coin.
Designs for the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins are based on official White House portraits, intaglio prints and medal designs. The first Presidential $1 Coin of 2009, struck in honor of our ninth President, William Henry Harrison, bears an image sculpted and designed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna. The second Presidential $1 Coin of 2009, honoring John Tyler, our Nation’s 10th President, bears an image designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill. The third coin, honoring the 11th President, James K. Polk, features an obverse portrait designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers. The fourth coin, honoring Zachary Taylor, our 12th President, features an obverse portrait by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. The reverse design on all Presidential $1 Coins features a rendition of the Statue of Liberty, designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.
Launched in 2007, the Presidential $1 Coin Program features a series of designs honoring four Presidents annually, with a new coin issued approximately every three months. Since the inception of the multi-year program, the United States Mint has minted more than 1.4 billion new $1 coins.
