There’s a stigma to collecting recently released coins. And as a recent release, the Presidential Dollars has suffered from this unfair discrimination. The consensus is that recent releases are not worth anything. And for the majority of the Presidential Dollar Coins, that would be correct, as most of them are still worth their face value. But there are also a few dollar coins that refuse to be pigeonholed by low prices. We feel that these coins deserve a proper shout-out, and that’s why we’re here today.
In this article, we’ll outline the 10 most valuable Presidential Dollars. We’ll also highlight their grades and why they sold so high. But before we get to the juicy bit, here’s a brief overview of the Presidential Dollar Coins.
| # | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Double Denomination 2007 George Washington Dollar Coin | $17,625 |
| 2 | Aluminum 2007 James Madison Dollar Coin | $8,050 |
| 3 | Aluminum 2008 Martin Van Buren Dollar Coin | $5,980 |
| 4 | First Day of Issue 2008-D Andrew Jackson Dollar Coin | $5,200 |
| 5 | First Day of Issue 2010-D Abraham Lincoln Dollar Coin | $4,800 |
| 6 | First Day of Issue 2009-P William H. Harrison Dollar Coin | $3,800 |
| 7 | 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicles Set | $3,600 |
| 8 | First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set | $3,300 |
| 9 | First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set | $3,000 |
| 10 | First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set | $3,000 |
What are the Presidential Dollar Coins?
The Presidential Coins are a series of dollar coins that pay tribute to deceased former presidents of the United States. The Presidential Dollar Coins ran consistently from February 2007 to July 2016. However, the coin press was reactivated in 2020 as soon as President George H. W. Bush was eligible.
History of the Presidential Dollar Coins
While the first Presidential Dollar Coin was struck in February 2007, the law that authorized it was passed two years earlier. The Presidential Dollar Coin Act of 2005 was sponsored by Senator John E. Sununu and was passed in May of the same year.
The law authorized the U.S. Mint to strike dollar coins depicting former presidents of the United States. For a president to be eligible, he has to have been deceased for at least two years. For example, President George H. W. Bush died in November 2018 and was honored in December 2020.
Design and Features
For the design and execution of the Presidential Dollar Coins, the U.S. Mint hired an army of designers, each tasked with different jobs. What was consistent was the design of the reverse, which was designed by Don Everhart. He went with a three-quarter view of the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by the text “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and the denomination “$1.”
While the faces and names of the presidents change from one Dollar Coin to the next, each design specifies the period of their presidency. In 2009, the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” was relocated to the obverse.
The edges of the Presidential Dollar Coins are populated by inscriptions that include the date, mint mark, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and the “IN GOD WE TRUST” (in pre-2009 coins).
10 Most Valuable Dollar Coins
And now that we’re all caught up, we can proceed to our objective: listing down the most valuable Presidential Dollar Coins. Without further ado, here are the 10 most valuable Presidential Dollar Coins.
1. Double Denomination 2007 George Washington Dollar Coin: Sold for $17,625
- U.S. Mint Branch: Unknown
- Total Mintage: 340,360,000
- Mint Mark: None
Here’s a coin you don’t see every day. According to its holder, this 2007 George Washington Dollar Coin was struck on a Jefferson Nickel. Under George Washington’s portrait, you can see evidence of the previous strike. And since the nickel is smaller than the presidential dollar coin, it couldn’t be contained by the collar of the coin chamber. What we ended up with is a broadstruck coin with deformed edges.
This coin sold so high mainly because it’s possibly the only one of its kind. It’s in great condition, too. PCGS graded it MS64.
2. Aluminum 2007 James Madison Dollar Coin: Sold for $8,050
- U.S. Mint Branch: Unknown
- Total Mintage: 172,340,000
- Mint Mark: None
This coin (if we can even call it that) was struck on an aluminum scrap, which was probably a piece from a planchet feeder. This 2007 James Madison Dollar Coin is made of aluminum, is highly irregular in shape, and only weighs 30 grams. This unique coin is in great condition, as it is graded MS66 by PCGS.
3. Aluminum 2008 Martin Van Buren Dollar Coin: Sold for $5,980
- U.S. Mint Branch: Unknown
- Total Mintage: 102,480,000
- Mint Mark: None
Apparently, striking Presidential Dollar Coins on planchet feeders wasn’t unique to the 2007 date. Exactly one year later, the same error occurred, this time affecting a 2008 Martin Van Buren Dollar Coin. This particular dollar coin is even lighter, only weighing 2.8 grams. It was graded by NGC, who bestowed upon it the MS65 grade.
4. First Day of Issue 2008-D Andrew Jackson Dollar Coin: Sold for $5,200
- U.S. Mint Branch: Denver
- Mintage: 61,070,000
- Mint Mark: D
This coin proves that a Presidential Dollar Coin doesn’t need mint errors to be valuable. However, it was a rare first-day Presidential Dollar Coin and was struck in Position B. The coin is also in pristine condition and was graded MS-67. The combination of all these factors plus the high demand for it pushed its price to $5,200.
5. First Day of Issue 2010-D Abraham Lincoln Dollar Coin: Sold for $4,800
- U.S. Mint Branch: Denver
- Mintage: 48,020,000
- Mint Mark: D
With a selling price of $4,800, the fifth most valuable Presidential Dollar Coin is another first day of issue. This coin is struck in Position A and bears the image of the 16th President of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln. It maintains most of its original luster and has few blemishes.
In MS67, it is probably the finest example in the open market. While it sold in 2019 for $4,800, we believe a similar coin in this condition is worth $6,000 today.
6. First Day of Issue 2009-P William H. Harrison Dollar Coin: Sold for $3,800
- U.S. Mint Branch: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 43,260,000
- Mint Mark: P
It may have failed to outsell the previous Lincoln Dollar Coin, but this coin is in finer condition. No 2009-P William H. Harrison Dollar Coin is in better condition.
PCGS has granted the MS68 grade to only two 2009-P William H. Harrison Dollar Coins, and this is one of them. The sales price you see in the title was from a 2019 auction. Like the previous entrant, this coin is easily worth $6,000 today.
7. 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicles Set: Sold for $3,600
- U.S. Mint Branch: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 23,905
- Mint Mark: P
In 2014, the U.S. Mint began striking reverse-proof Presidential Dollar Coins for their Chronicle Sets. Reverse proofs have frosted fields and mirror-like reliefs. The LBJ reverse proofs are rare because they only made 23,905 of these coins. As one of the finest examples (PR70) of this variety, this coin sold in 2023 for $3,600.
If you want to learn more about reverse proof, we explore the subject extensively in this linked article.
8. First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set: Sold for $3,300
- U.S. Mint Branch: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 23,905
- Mint Mark: P
Representing Team Johnson is another 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Dollar Coin. This one is even finer than the last, as it was struck in reverse proof. It is finer, too, as it has a perfect grade of PR70. As a FirstStrike, it is rarer than our previous entrant. But because it was sold a few years earlier, it had to settle for position eight on our list.
9. First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set: Sold for $3,000
- U.S. Mint Branch: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 23,905
- Mint Mark: P
It might seem repetitive, but yet another notable coin is the 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Dollar Coin struck in reverse proof. At PR70, again, no coin is finer. According to the PCGS registry, they only granted this grade to 35 other coins of this variety. On February 18th, 2018, competition was stiff, and the winning bid snapped up the coin at $3,000.
10. First Strike 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin, Chronicle Set: Sold for $3,000
- U.S. Mint Branch: Philadelphia
- Mintage: 23,905
- Mint Mark: P
Tied with the previous entrant is yet another 2015-P Lyndon B. Johnson Reverse Proof Dollar Coin. Only 23,905 coins were struck in this fashion, and fewer were first strikes. By that statement, you can appreciate how rare these coins were. With a grade of PR70, this represents the highest quality example available.
Final Thoughts
So, do you still believe that Presidential Dollar Coins are worthless? While it is unfortunate that there’s not a lot of interest in the coin, there are a few examples that are shuttering auction records. Error coins constitute some of the most valuable Presidential Dollar coins. And no error coin is more valuable than Double Denomination Presidential Dollar Coins.
Special strikes have also proven time and time again that they deserve to be on this list, none more than First Strikes of Reverse Proof Presidential Dollar Coins. It makes you want to scour the internet for bargains and flip the coins for some quick cash.
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.