President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
The U.S. Mint began selling rolls and bags of the 2026 Semiquincentennial President Donald J. Trump $1 Coin on 2 September. A roll of 25 coins costs $61, while a bag of 100 is priced at $154.50.
The coins are expected to enter circulation later this year.
The gold-coloured dollar was created as part of wider celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S., rather than as part of the conventional Presidential $1 Coin Programme.
The portrait was designed by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna, using an official White House photograph by Daniel Torok as inspiration.
The reverse features the Presidential Seal. An eagle holds an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, while the shield on its chest contains the number “250” to mark the nation's semiquincentennial. The reverse was designed and sculpted by former Mint Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro.
Trump appears to have played little part in the coin’s conception or creation. He told Fox News that he was “honoured” by the gesture and described the design as “cute”.
Federal law has long restricted the appearance of living people on U.S. currency, although the rules differ between paper money and coins.
The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 established a specific restriction for presidential dollar coins. Under the law, a living president, or a president who has been dead for less than two years, cannot appear on standard Presidential $1 coins.
The Trump coin is being issued under separate congressional authority covering coins commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Mint says legislation passed for the 2026 celebrations allows the Treasury secretary to mint and issue a new $1 coin marking the national milestone.
The coin is part of a broader increase in the appearance of Trump’s name and image on government documents and proposals. His likeness has been associated with proposals for a $250 bill and commemorative passports marking the United States’ 250th birthday.
The Treasury Department also announced in March that Trump’s signature would replace the U.S. treasurer’s signature on newly minted bills.
The anniversary coin provides another prominent example of Trump’s image appearing on official government-issued material.
Although the coin is golden in appearance, it is not made of gold.
The Mint says modern golden-dollar coins use an outer layer of manganese brass to produce their distinctive colour. The Trump coins are composed mostly of copper, with 6 per cent zinc, 3.5 per cent manganese and 2 per cent nickel.
Among the coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint are 250,000 special pieces carrying a “July 4th” privy mark. They were produced on Independence Day and randomly mixed into the rolls and bags sold by the Mint, meaning buyers are not guaranteed to receive one.
The Mint has marketed the coins both as legal tender and as collectibles.
Whether kept as a collector’s item or eventually found in pocket change, the coin marks a significant break with conventions that have shaped U.S. presidential coinage for generations.
It also places Trump in a small and unusual group of U.S. presidents whose likenesses appeared on official coins while they were still alive.
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