2007 dollar designs go on display

Designs for the four Presidential dollar coins to be issued during 2007 will be unveiled at a November 20 ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Following review and recommendations of potential designs by the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, final selections have been made by Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.

Pursuant to Public Law 109-145, which was enacted by Congress and signed by President Bush in late 2005, a dollar coin for each deceased former President of the U.S. will be issued in the order in which they served at the rate of four coins per year. The Statue of Liberty will appear on the reverse side of each Presidential dollar. Various inscriptions normally appearing on the obverse or reverse side of U.S. coins will instead appear on the edge. These include the date and mintmark and the phrases E PLURIBUS UNUM and IN GOD WE TRUST.

Presidential dollars will be the same size, weight and manganese-brass alloy as the Sacagawea dollar. The Sacagawea dollar was introduced in 2000 but has not been released into circulation through the Federal Reserve Bank system since 2001. The legislation authorizing Presidential dollars requires that Sacagawea dollars continue to be struck each year to provide one-third of the total dollar coin mintage.

The George Washington dollar will be released on or about February 16, 2007. Tentative dates for release of the John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison dollars are May 18, August 17 and November 16, 2007, respectively.

(via telesphere.com)