Starting in 2007, the United States Mint started producing and releasing gold tone coins to honor former Presidents of the United States. Each year four coins were released into circulation with the series scheduled to end in 2016. The face value of the coin is one dollar however the coins that have not been released into circulation are worth more. Proof sets were sold at the end of each year; those are sets of the coins for the year that have never been touched by human hands and come sealed in a case or folder with see-through windows on both sides. The prices on the proof sets varied depending on how they were packaged and the documentation that came with them. The educational side of the dollar coins is amazing because you can use each coin to teach children about the President, when they served, events that took place when they were in office and events that were happening around the world at the time. The downside is that the coins lose their sheen and luster after being handled. The front face of the coin has an etched image of a President and the reverse side has the Statue of Liberty with the $1 symbol denoting its worth. The coins are slightly larger than a quarter and because of the coloring of them it is impossible to confuse them with a smaller denomination coin. Most banks have these in general circulation; collecting all of them can be tough so if you are trying to complete the set you might have to make several trips to get the ones that have been released so far. The coins are only worth a dollar so paying more than that for one is not advised unless they are certified non-circulated. The coins are a great way to honor former Presidents and all of the things that they have accomplished and when used with other commemorative coins like the quarters that were released for each State, you have a great hands-on tool for teaching history.

AlexFortune

Undisclosed

I have always been a coin collector. I was started at an early age by my grandfather. Since the state quarters have finished, the president gold dollars is the latest edition to our collection. Luckily I've been able to get most of them at the bank or out of the cash register at work. I am personally glad they came out with them because my grandfather still enjoys coin collecting and I love spending all the time I can with him as he's getting older.

MirandaWithers

USA

U.S. Dollar coins do not circulate too widely but I sometimes come across them when getting change - especially at a car wash or light rail line. The most recent version of the dollar coin is being minted with the likeness of U.S. Presidents on the obverse and the Statue of Liberty on the reverse.  The new designs are a golden color which piqued my interest, so I started to collect them. **Presidential Coin Program** Each year dollar coins will be issued with four presidents, which started with George Washington in 2007. Both the Denver and Philadelphia Mints will mint these coins for general circulation, uncirculated coin sets and proof sets, while the San Francisco Mint produces then only for proof sets. These dollar coins will be minted at least until the year 2016 when all Presidents who are deceased at least 2 years will have coins.  When the program reaches a still-living President the program will halt unless Congress modifies the program. **Unique design** What is eye-catching about these coins is the gold tint, which helps distinguish them from all over coins in general circulation. The coin is also a bit heavier and wider than a quarter. Some engravings of the Presidents are better than others, but in general the design is fine by me. I also like the Statue of Liberty on the reverse side. One thing I do not like is the date, mint mark, and motto E Pluribus Unum is stamped on the coins edge, making it difficult to see. There are some coins in circulation that are missing the edge engraving, and those may be worth more in future years.If you remember the Sacagawea Dollar coin, which stated production in 2000, is still being minted too.  That coin also has a rotating design but only on the reverse. However, the Sacagawea dollar coin is being produced in much smaller quantities than previous years. **Problems with the dollar coin** There has been resistance to using the dollar coin which inhibits their circulation. That's too bad because using coins in place of paper $1 bills would save taxpayers billions of dollars over the years. Why is that?  A coin will last about 30 years in circulation while dollar bills last, on average, about 1-1/2 years. So dollar bills have to be constantly printed in huge quantities while the coins could be used for decades. Another problem with the coin is many merchants and banks do not carry them, so even if you want to use them you rarely get them as change. I sometimes get a roll at the bank to look for coin versions I want to collect, but they sometimes have to dig around to find them. Also, when I use them at stores I sometimes get strange stares from cashiers - some don't even know the dollar coin is ''real money''. The MInt recently announced they will continue producing these coins, but only for collectors. That will make it harder to find the currently-minted coins. However, the older ones are in abundant supply. Overall I plan to keep collecting the Presidential Dollar coin through the whole series. I also plan to use them from time to time while making purchases - especially at vending machines. From what I hear the collectible value of these coins is probably minimal, but I'm just doing it for fun and educational purposes. So if you come across a dollar coin some time, try using it instead of just turning it into the bank.

JovialCougar

Denver, CO