Trump $1 coin goes on sale: Price, design and legal questions explained

The United States Mint has begun offering a new $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump, marking the country's 250th anniversary.

It is the first circulating coin in the US to bear the portrait of a living president.

The 2026 Semiquincentennial President Donald J. Trump $1 Coin rolls and bags went on sale on September 2.

The Mint is offering a bag of 100 coins for $154.50 and a roll of 25 coins for $61.

The coins were minted at the Philadelphia Mint and have a circulating finish, although they have not been placed into general circulation.

They remain legal tender with a face value of $1.

Special July 4 coins among collector batches

The Mint said 250,000 of the coins were struck on July 4 at the Philadelphia Mint with a special "July 4th" privy mark to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

These coins, which bear no mint mark, will be interspersed among the regular rolls and bags being sold to collectors.

The obverse features a portrait of Trump along with the inscriptions "LIBERTY", "IN GOD WE TRUST" and "1776~2026".

The design was created by US Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna and was inspired by an official White House photograph taken by Daniel Torok.

The reverse carries the Presidential Seal, featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, with a shield bearing the number "250".

It also includes the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "ONE DOLLAR".

The reverse was designed and sculpted by former Mint Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro.

The coins are composed of 88.5% copper, with the remainder consisting of zinc, manganese and nickel.

Trump coin raises legal questions

The release has also drawn attention to the legal question of whether a sitting president can appear on US currency.

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 permits dollar coins in that presidential series only for deceased presidents.

The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 prohibits portraits of living people on the reverse side of coins.

The Trump coin's portrait, however, appears on the obverse, or heads side.

The Treasury Department had argued in October 2025 that the coin could be produced because the 2020 law permits designs emblematic of the United States' semiquincentennial.

In July, a Treasury spokesperson also pointed to an Independent report that the US Mint had examined whether developing the coin would violate federal law.

The Thayer Amendment of 1866, bars portraits of living people on US notes, though the provision has traditionally not applied to coins.

Coin temporarily out of stock

The Mint's website said late Wednesday that the Trump coin was available for ordering but was temporarily out of stock.

Households are currently limited to two orders.

Legal tender status means the coin can be used to pay debts, taxes, dues and public charges under federal law.

It does not, however, require private businesses to accept the coin, as businesses generally can decide which forms of payment they accept.