They may not be valuable in circulated condition, but with the right variety and condition, the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin can sell for decent money. So, what are these valuable varieties? And how much do they sell for? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out.
In the meantime, below is a summary of the value of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin in various states of circulation:
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin Valuation Chart
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value | ||
| 2009-P James K. Polk Dollar | 2009-D James K. Polk Dollar | 2009-S Proof James K. Polk Dollar | |
| Circulated
(G4 to XF40) |
$1 | – | – |
| About Uncirculated
(AU50 to AU58) |
$1 | – | – |
| Uncirculated
(MS60 to MS64) |
$3-$6 | $1-$4 | $3 |
| Brilliant Uncirculated (MS65 or higher) | $7-$70 | $6-$350 | $5-$35 |
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Historical Background
James K. Polk was the 11th U.S. president, serving between 1845 and 1849. As a former U.S. President who was diseased for over two years, Polk was eligible to be honored with a coin of his own in the Presidential Dollar Coin Program.
The Presidential Dollar coins are a series of coins that honor former presidents of the United States. Unfortunately, a president has to have been dead for at least two years before the minting date. This program was authorized by Congress under the sponsorship of Senator John E. Sununu.
As the 11th President, James K. Polk was honored on 20th August 2009, just three months after the release of President John Tyler’s Dollar Coin. The 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin was just like the other dollar coins in the presidential series except for a few tweaks.
As a post-2008 Presidential Dollar Coin, the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin bore the “IN GOD WE TRUST” motto on its obverse rather than on its edge.
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Physical Features
The first thing you notice about the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin is its golden appearance. Despite this appearance, the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin contains no gold. It was made of a copper core sandwiched by a manganese brass cladding.
Below is a highlight of the coin’s key physical features:
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Physical Characteristics
| Physical Feature | Notes |
| Color | Golden |
| Metallic Composition | 88.5% Copper
6% Zinc 3.5% Manganese 2% Nickel |
| Weight | 8.10 grams |
| Diameter | 26.49 mm |
| Edge | Engraved |
Obverse Design and Features
Designing and executing the obverse of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin was a joint effort between two artists. Susan Gamble took care of the design part, while Charles L. Vickers handled sculpting. The contributions of both artists are honored with their initials struck on the obverse face of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin.
The obverse of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin contains the following characters:
- A three-quarter view of James K. Polk
- The name “James K. Polk“
- The legend “IN GOD WE TRUST“
- The legend “11th PRESIDENT“
- The period “1845-1849“
- The designer’s initials, “SG” (Susan Gamble)
- The sculptor’s initials “CLV” (Charles L. Vickers)
Reverse Design and Features
The 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin uses the same reverse that has graced all the Presidential Dollar Coins since the program’s inception. This reverse was designed and engraved by Don Everhart.
It includes the following elements:
- A partial image of the Statue of Liberty
- The country of issue “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA“
- The denomination “$1“
- The designer’s initials “DE” (Don Everhart)
Edge Engravings
The Presidential coins were struck with engravings around their edges. These engravings included the following characters:
- The date “2009“
- The inscription “E PLURIBUS UNUM”
- The mint mark(P, D, or S)
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Varieties and Valuation
Mintin the Presidential Dollar coins were not free from production challenges, and we got some interesting varieties thanks to the U.S. Mint’s minting process. The 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin also had its share of interesting varieties. Below is a discussion of the value of the different varieties and sub-varieties of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin.
2009-P James K. Polk Dollar Value
- U.S. Mint: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 46,620,000
- Mint Mark: P
The Philadelphia Mint made the most James K. Polk Dollar coins in 2009. Their minting process yielded two varieties of the 2009-P James K. Polk Dollar coin: Position A and Position B varieties.
Circulated and About Circulated 2009-P James Polk Dollar coins still maintain their face value. In mint condition, PCGS values them between $3 and $70.
Below is a comparison between the PCGS values of Position A and Position B varieties of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin:
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value | |
| Position A | Position B | |
| Good (G4) | – | $1 |
| Very Good (VG8) | – | $1 |
| Fine (F12) | – | $1 |
| Very Fine (VF20) | – | $1 |
| Extremely Fine (XF40) | – | $1 |
| About Uncirculated (AU50) | – | $1 |
| Uncirculated (MS60) | – | $3 |
| Brilliant Uncirculated (MS65) | $7 | $7 |
| Brilliant Uncirculated (MS68) | $25 | $70 |
One of the many factors that’s working against the value of the 2009-P James K. Polk Dollar coin is its high mintage. The Philadelphia Mint made too many coins of this nature. Plus, not enough time has passed to make these coins rare.
On the PCGS registry, we only found the sales below as the only ones registered on their database. And spoiler alert, there are no big-money transactions.
| Variety | Grade | Sale Price | Auction Firm |
| Unspecified | MS68 | $34.44 | eBay |
| Position A | MS66 | $17 | Heritage Auctions |
| Position A | MS66 | $16 | Great Collections |
| Position A | MS66 | $13 | Great Collections |
| Position B | MS68 | $14 | eBay |
2009-P Special James K. Polk Dollar Value
- U.S. Mint: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 784,614
- Mint Mark: P
The Philadelphia Mint also made a bunch of special 2009-P James K. Polk Dollar coins with a satin finish. These coins have a superior eye appeal in comparison to the regular strikes and were only sold to collectors. You’ll always find them in mint state.
Despite their low mintage, they are just as valuable as similarly-graded regular-struck 2009-P James K. Polk Dollar coins. However, there’s not much difference between the value of Position A and Position B varieties. PCGS values 2009-P Special James K. Polk Dollar coins between $3 and $1,000.
Below is a table comparing the value of the two coin varieties:
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value | |
| Position A | Position B | |
| Uncirculated (SP60) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP61) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP62) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP63) | $4 | $4 |
| Uncirculated (SP64) | $4 | $4 |
| Uncirculated (SP65) | $5 | $5 |
| Uncirculated (SP66) | $6 | $6 |
| Uncirculated (SP67) | $8 | $8 |
| Uncirculated (SP68) | $12 | $18 |
| Uncirculated (SP69) | $1,000 | $750 |
| Uncirculated (SP70) | – | – |
Low Mintage doesn’t always translate to rarity. There are still a lot of these coins out there and in mint condition. Unless you have the sole finest example, you won’t get high prices.
To prove this point, below is a list of online auctions involving the 2009-P Special James K. Polk Dollar coin:
| Variety | Grade | Sale Price | Auction Firm |
| Position A | SP69 | $940.00 | Heritage Auctions |
| Position A | SP66 | $30 | Great Collections |
| Position A | SP68 | $21 | Heritage Auctions |
| Position A | SP68 | $13.00 | Great Collections |
| Position B | SP68 | $10.49 | eBay |
2009-D James K. Polk Dollar Value
- U.S. Mint: Denver
- Mintage: 41,720,000
- Mint Mark: D
The Denver Mint also made the mistake of striking way too many 2009-D James K. Polk Dollar coins. The high mintage dilutes the coin’s value, with mint state coins of MS63 and below still worth their face value.
2009-D James K. Polk Dollar coins with grades of MS64 and above are valued between $2 and $350, depending on condition.
Below is a highlight of the value of uncirculated 2009-D James K. Polk Dollar coins:
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value | |
| Position A | Position B | |
| Uncirculated (MS60) | $1 | – |
| Uncirculated (MS61) | $1 | – |
| Uncirculated (MS62) | $1 | – |
| Uncirculated (MS63) | $1 | – |
| Uncirculated (MS64) | $2 | $4 |
| Uncirculated (MS65) | $6 | $8 |
| Uncirculated (MS66) | $10 | $15 |
| Uncirculated (MS67) | $350 | – |
| Uncirculated (MS68) | – | – |
Auction sales prices are equally as uninspiring as the PCGS estimates above. There’s an MS66-graded coin that sold for $14. For a Position A variety, the price is slightly above the estimate on the table but still disappointing.
A 2009-D James K. Polk Dollar coin that sold for big bucks was an error coin, and it exchanged hands for $1,265; more on this coin later.
2009-D Special James K. Polk Dollar Value
- U.S. Mint: Denver
- Mintage: 784,614
- Mint Mark: D
The Denver Mint also made 784,614 special dollar coins with a satin finish. In terms of value, there’s nothing special about these coins. They are just as valuable as regular-struck 2009-D James K. Polk Dollar coins. This brings me back to my earlier point: low mintage doesn’t necessarily translate to rarity.
Despite their striking satin finish, 2009-D Special James K. Polk Dollar coins are worth between $3 and $500 in mint condition. Now, let’s look at how the Position A and Position B varieties of this dollar coin compare in terms of their value.
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value | |
| Position A | Position B | |
| Uncirculated (SP60) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP61) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP62) | $3 | $3 |
| Uncirculated (SP63) | $4 | $4 |
| Uncirculated (SP64) | $4 | $4 |
| Uncirculated (SP65) | $5 | $5 |
| Uncirculated (SP66) | $6 | $6 |
| Uncirculated (SP67) | $8 | $8 |
| Uncirculated (SP68) | $18 | $18 |
| Uncirculated (SP69) | $500 | $375 |
| Uncirculated (SP70) | – | – |
There’s not much demand for these coins in the open market. Despite being one of the finest examples of its kind, an SP69 dollar coin failed to reach its value estimate. It sold for a disappointing $329. Another disappointing sale was the auction of an MS68 that sold on eBay for only $14.
2009-S Proof James K. Polk Dollar Coin Value
- U.S. Mint: San Francisco
- Mintage: 2,809,452
- Mint Mark: S
The proof versions of the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin were struck at the San Francisco Mint. These coins were struck with a deep cameo. They were also struck uniformly with no Position A and Position B variations.
The coin’s perfect appearance really does help the fact that there are over 2 million coins out there, with most of them being in the hands of collectors. This availability has made the 2009-S Proof James K. Polk Dollar coin the least valuable variety. PCGS values 2009-S Proof James K. Polk Dollar coins between $3 and $35.
Below is a highlight of these value estimates:
| Coin Condition | Estimated Value |
| Uncirculated (PR61) | – |
| Uncirculated (PR62) | – |
| Uncirculated (PR63) | $3 |
| Uncirculated (PR64) | $3 |
| Uncirculated (PR65) | $4 |
| Uncirculated (PR66) | $4 |
| Uncirculated (PR67) | $5 |
| Uncirculated (PR68) | $15 |
| Uncirculated (PR69) | $12 |
| Uncirculated (PR70) | $35 |
On the auction block, one needs a perfect coin just to get a decent return. Below are some of the biggest sales involving 2009-S Proof James K. Polk Dollar coins.
| Variety | Grade | Sale Price | Auction Firm |
| Deep Cameo | Unspecified | $203 | eBay |
| Deep Cameo | PR70 | $127 | Heritage Auctions |
| Deep Cameo | PR70 | $77 | Great Collections |
| Deep Cameo | PR70 | $55 | Great Collections |
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Valuable Error Coins
From what we’ve gathered so far, the 2009 Proof James K. Polk Dollar coin is not such a valuable coin. Perhaps we’ll stumble into better luck when we explore its error coins.
2009-D James K. Polk Dollar Coin with Die Adjustment Strike Error: Sold for $1,265
Before commencing striking, mint workers need to adjust the distance and pressure of their dies. They use blanks to judge the effect of the strike as they adjust. Such a planchet would have a Die Adjustment Strike Error.
Like this coin, adjustment strikes yield coins lacking peripheral detail. Such coins are difficult to grade, so this example has no grade.
2009-P James K. Polk Dollar Coin with Partial Edge Lettering: Sold for $325
Some coins left the mint with partial edge engravings. This coin is a prime example. There are no images of the edges, so it’s hard to tell which letters are missing. However, the coin is graded a brilliant MS66.
2009-P James K. Polk Dollar Coin with Weak Edge Lettering: Sold for $99.99
Edge engravings on the Presidential Dollar Coins weren’t immune to quality issues. We’ve already seen coins with partial engravings and those without any engravings. Coins like this one left the mint with weak edge engravings. The lettering on this coin is just strong enough to make out the “P” mint mark.
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin with Missing Edge Lettering: Sold for $86
We conclude with another coin that completely lacks lettering on its edges. This coin may have a superior grade than our second entry, but it fails to beat its selling price. A reasonable explanation would be that this coin was sold in 2014. I bet it’s more valuable now. And that’s just the thing: auction prices aren’t set in stone.
2009 James K. Polk Dollar Coin: Is it Worth Collecting?
While the James K. Polk Dollar coin would be a cool addition to any coin collection, it doesn’t hold so much value, mainly because they minted so many of these coins. If you have the patience to buy and hold, then, by any means, do that. They are pretty simple to acquire in the high grades, and they don’t cost much.
But also, it doesn’t mean that the 2009 James K. Polk Dollar coin lacks some valuable varieties. Examples with weak or missing edge lettering are the most sought-after. An MS62 example sold on eBay for $510.
Jenson is a professional numismatist, a dedicated coin collector, a graduate of the College of Business at Oregon State, a life member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), and an overall coin nerd. He is the founder of Coin Value List.