Innovate, Innovate, Innovate, The U.S. Mint Celebrates Innovation

Americans have always considered our country a nation of boundless innovations and innovators.

- BY MIKE GAROFALO

To celebrate this fact, the United States Senate passed legislation that amended a House of Representatives bill honoring “innovation.” The legislation was named “American Innovation $1 Coin Act” and it was sent to President Trump for his signature on July 18, 2018.

The bill mandated a series of dollar coins, limited to four per year, which would be struck commencing in 2018 and ending in 2032. The reverse of each coin would honor “an innovation, innovator, or group of innovators from an individual state or territory.” The obverse of these coins would display the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). Each obverse will display the motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST” and the denomination of “$1.” The edge of each coin features the year, mintmark and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

The very first Innovation Dollar design was, appropriately, one that commemorated President George Washington's signing into law the very first American patent, which was for a new method of making potash and pearl ash. The program was launched on Dec.14, 2018, but these coins, unlike other “gold dollar” coins, were being released into circulation, as they were only made available in both bag and roll quantity and sold directly by the U.S. Mint on their website (usmint.gov).

Like many coins, these coins were struck at three U.S. Mint facilities, with uncirculated coins being struck in Philadelphia and bearing a “P” mintmark, and in Denver bearing a “D” mintmark. Proof and Reverse Proof coins bear an “S” mintmark, signifying having been struck at the San Francisco minting facility. Like all “Golden Dollars,” these coins are comprised of outer layers of .770 copper, .120 zinc, .070 manganese and .040 nickel bonded to an inner core of pure copper.