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TRUMP DOLLAR COIN DESIGN REVEALEDFinal designs for the controversial "Trump Dollar" coin were announced this week. Here's a decent overview from Politico. -Editor 
The U.S. Mint will begin striking one-dollar coins featuring a portrait of President Donald Trump on its face in commemoration of the nation's semiquincentennial anniversary, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday morning. The coin, which on the reverse side depicts the presidential seal with "250" inscribed on the shield, "celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all," Bessent wrote in a social media post. Living people, including presidents, rarely grace American currency thanks to a compilation of laws, though the new coinage appears to skirt around those restrictions. Trump signed bipartisan legislation in 2020 authorizing the Treasury Secretary to issue dollar coins during the 2026 calendar year carrying designs that are "emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial." That law states that no person, living or dead, could be included on the reverse side of the coin — but some have argued it appears to allow for Trump's portrait (or other living people) to remain on the coin face. However, federal law is generally understood to prohibit any living person from appearing on most currency. When Congress created the Presidential $1 Coin Program in 2007, it also dictated that no living presidents, or those who had died in the past two years, would be featured on those coins. And an 1866 law fully prohibits living people from appearing on paper currency, though it doesn't specifically mention coinage. 
Initial designs released by the U.S. Treasurer The final design appears to be a notable scaling back from the ambitious draft design obtained by POLITICO in October. That design featured Trump on both sides of the coin, with the reverse side depicting him holding his fist in the air with the words "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT" inscribed above him. 
On Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) Review ABC News examined the lack of review by the CCAC. -Editor
"Federal law also stipulates that coin designs be selected by the Treasury secretary after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts, which recommended the design in January, and review from the bipartisan Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, an 11-person body established by Congress in 2003 to advise on designs of hard currency. But the Treasury Department appears to have skipped the latter committee, raising questions about the legality of the coin's production. Speaking with ABC News on Wednesday, two members of the committee said aside from a few last-minute attempts by the Mint to present the proposed coin to the committee in November and December, the body never had a chance to review the design as required by law. "We've never seen any design with the portrait of Donald Trump on it," Donald Scarinci, a numismatist and Democrat who's spent over two decades on the committee, told ABC News. Scarinci said the proposed December meeting ultimately didn't occur because it was impossible to reach a quorum of members on such short notice." Mint Chief Counsel Greg Weinman has said "I believe the CCAC was given -- at least the chair of the CCAC was given a full opportunity to review this portfolio... The Mint, in my opinion, attempted multiple times to find an opportunity for the CCAC to review the portfolio. The CCAC made a decision not to. At least the chair of the CCAC made the decision not to." Here's how the Wall Street Journal summarized the situation. -Editor
The federal law that enabled new one-dollar coin designs for the country's 250th birthday requires design review by the bipartisan Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. That panel has so far refused to consider designs that would feature Trump, in an attempt to slow or prevent the minting of such a coin. "If they make this coin, it is illegal and Congress should act to stop it," said Donald Scarinci, the longest-serving member of that panel. He said Congress should confiscate any of these coins or render them void. Administration officials have said the coin is legal.
Color and Composition While many will call it a "gold" coin, it's not a bullion piece and contains no gold. The Washington Post calls it "gold-hued". -Editor
Megan Sullivan, the acting chief of the U.S. Mint's office of design management... described the coins as being "a little bit larger than a quarter" and being composed of "manganese brass" and displaying as "golden in color." The $1 coins are distinct from the 24-karat coins created by the Treasury Department that typically sell for thousands of dollars.
To read the complete articles, see:
Thanks also to Paul Horner and others who forwarded articles. -Editor
See also:
To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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