Overview
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the final design on X on Thursday, July 16, and the U.S. Mint has begun striking gold-colored, non-precious-metal $1 coins at the Philadelphia Mint for a planned fall release.
- The obverse shows President Trump with the inscriptions “LIBERTY,” “1776 ~ 2026,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the reverse features a variant of the Great Seal with a prominent “250.”
- The administration relies on the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 and past precedent to justify a living president’s portrait, while critics point to longstanding federal law that generally bars living persons on U.S. currency.
- Observers and lawmakers have reacted sharply on social media and in Congress, and lawsuits and oversight letters have been filed that could delay sales or prompt legal review of the Mint’s authority and the Treasury’s design approval.
- Collectors should note the coin is not bullion: it will carry a $1 face value, a gold-like finish without real gold, and its market value will depend on collector demand rather than metal content.