President Donald Trump’s new $1 coin quickly became difficult to buy after the U.S. Mint opened sales Wednesday.
The coins went on sale early Wednesday afternoon. By later in the day, the 25-coin rolls were on backorder, while 100-coin bags were listed as unavailable on the Mint’s website.
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The 25-coin rolls were priced at $61, while the 100-coin bags sold for $154.50.
The coins were created for the nation’s 250th anniversary. One side shows Trump, along with the words “Liberty,” “In God We Trust” and the years 1776 to 2026. The other side features the Great Seal of the United States and the number 250.
Some rolls and bags also include coins with a special “July 4” mark, showing they were struck on Independence Day.
The coins have a face value of $1 and can be used as legal tender.
A collector’s item with legal questions
The design has drawn attention not only because of demand, but because Trump is still in office. His image has renewed questions about federal restrictions on when living people, particularly presidents, can appear on U.S. coins.
The laws cited in the debate impose different limits.
The Presidential $1 Coin Act generally reserves presidential commemorative coins for presidents who have died, while the 2020 law governing the 250th-anniversary designs restricts portraits of living people on the reverse side. Trump’s portrait appears on the front.
The Treasury argues the coin is permitted under separate language in the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which allows designs representing the United States’ semiquincentennial.
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