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Eco · Climate policy · published 2026-09-02 · via The Guardian

US Treasury issues Trump coin, testing 250-year-old currency norms

Image via The Guardian
Image via The Guardian

The US Mint has released a $1 coin bearing President Trump's likeness, despite an 1866 law prohibiting living people on currency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited a precedent from the 150th anniversary celebration to justify the move. The coin, which costs about $2.44 each, is legal tender and will be produced in quantities of roughly 9 million.

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The coin's composition is a base-metal blend of zinc, manganese, nickel, and copper, giving it a gold appearance despite its modest $2.44 retail price per unit. The 1866 prohibition emerged after Treasury official Spencer M Clark exploited his surname's similarity to explorer William Clark, printing his own portrait on a five-cent note, prompting Congress to restrict currency images to deceased individuals—though that restriction technically applied only to paper money.

The legal challenge came from Portland attorney James Rickher, whose March motion to block the coin was denied by a federal judge in

Expanded detail and Context are AI-generated analysis; the linked article remains the authoritative source.
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This summary is AI-generated and original to Mobble; the linked article is the authoritative source. Original headline: “The $1 Trump coin: legal tender, depending on what you mean by legal.” Browse more stories.