The US Mint began selling the 2026 President Donald J. Trump $1 coin at noon ET Wednesday. A roll of 25 coins costs $61, while a bag of 100 coins costs $154.50. Each coin has a face value of $1 and is legal tender.
The Mint embedded a special collector feature in this release: 250,000 coins struck on Independence Day are hidden within the rolls and bags sold. These coins bear a privy mark—a small symbol stamped into the die—reading July 4th. If both products sell out, approximately 1 in 35 coins from the total production run will carry this mark.
Pricing and Availability
The bag offers better value at $1.55 per coin, compared to $2.44 per coin for the roll. Both prices exceed face value. A $61 roll contains $25 in face value, while a $154.50 bag contains $100 in face value; the remainder represents the collector premium.
The Mint capped this release at 150,000 rolls and 50,000 bags, with a two-item household purchase limit. Philadelphia began striking the coin in July. The Mint has not yet published total production figures.
The coins are also entering circulation, and the Mint encouraged buyers to check their pocket change. However, the official campaign page indicates a fall 2026 date for broader circulation distribution.
Legal Authority and Congressional Response
Federal law typically restricts depictions on US currency and securities to deceased persons. However, coins fall outside this restriction. A separate rule bars living presidents from the Presidential $1 Coin Program, but Treasury circumvented this using authority granted by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. That law permits the Mint to redesign dollar coins for the nation's 250th anniversary.
Congress attempted twice to close this gap. Representative Ritchie Torres filed the TRUMP Act in October 2025. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jeff Merkley introduced the Change Corruption Act in December.
A precedent exists from 1926, when the Mint paired sitting President Calvin Coolidge with George Washington on a half dollar commemorating the 150th anniversary of independence. According to the Mint's own account, no president had appeared on a coin while alive before that release.
Related Releases
The State Department released the Patriot Passport on the same day, with an inside page featuring President Trump at the Resolute Desk against the Declaration of Independence backdrop. The department released 250,000 additional passports in July following increased demand. Obtaining one requires an in-person appointment at limited events.
