Donald Trump has just become the first living US president in a century to appear on American currency, with his portrait now featured on a commemorative $1 coin.
The US Mint released the coin on September 2 to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. It shows Trump’s portrait alongside the inscriptions “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
The Mint said the limited-edition coin was intended to represent “the spirit, pride, and legacy of a nation approaching its landmark anniversary.”
The coins were sold for $61 per roll of 25 and $154.50 per bag of 100. Within hours of their release, they sold out and are not currently in stock.
Although the coins have a gold-like appearance, they contain no actual gold. The Mint says they are made up of 88.5% copper, with the remainder consisting of zinc, manganese, and nickel.
It's worth noting that US federal law prohibits putting the image of a living person on American money. But the Trump administration seems to have found some loopholes: the original 1866 ban historically applied to paper currency and bonds, not coins. What's more, during his first term Trump signed into law the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which "prohibits portraits of living people on the reverse (tails side) of coins" but "does not explicitly cover the obverse (heads side), where Trump's likeness appears on the new $1 coins," according to the BBC.
Trump’s commemorative coin is the latest chapter in the long and fascinating history of American currency, evolving from the earliest colonial coinage through the introduction of Continental bills to the "greenbacks" and pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and Federal Reserve Notes we are all familiar with today.
So, are you ready to cash in on the origins of US currency? Click through and spend time learning more about the money that made America.