"Is This Real Gold?"... Sale Begins for $1 Coin Featuring Trump’s Face

Issued for America’s 250th Anniversary
Price Per Coin: About $2.44 to $1.55
‘Trump’ Name Also on Banknotes, Passports, and Airports

Sales have begun in the United States for gold-colored coins featuring the face of President Donald Trump.

Front and back images of the Trump coin released by the United States Mint. Photo by the United States Mint

According to the US Mint on September 2 (local time), these coins have been issued to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America's founding. The price per coin is set at $2.44 (about 3,300 won) for a roll of 25, and $1.55 (about 2,100 won) when purchased in bags of 100 coins. Just before the start of sales at noon, the US Mint's website temporarily crashed due to a spike in visitors attempting to purchase the coins.

No Actual Gold, But a ‘Real $1’ Coin

The obverse features President Trump’s face, along with the inscriptions “LIBERTY,” “In God We Trust,” and the numbers “1776-2026.” The reverse side is engraved with a presidential seal showing the bald eagle, America’s national bird, and a large “250” to mark the 250th anniversary of America's founding.

The coin’s gold brilliance comes from a copper alloy mixed with zinc, manganese, and nickel—reflecting President Trump’s taste—yet it contains no actual gold. While the coins are intended primarily as collectibles, they are also legal tender with a face value of one dollar.

On June 27, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a draft design of a passport commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence on Truth Social. Screenshot from Truth Social

This marks the first appearance of a sitting US president’s face on a coin in 100 years, since President Calvin Coolidge appeared on the 50-cent coin commemorating the nation’s 150th anniversary in 1926.

By law, US federal regulations prohibit the portrait of a living individual from appearing on a $1 coin. However, a law passed in 2020 during Trump's first administration for the issuance of the 250th anniversary commemorative coins limited this restriction to the ‘reverse’ side of coins, thereby making it possible for a living person’s portrait to appear on the obverse.

From Banknotes to Passports, Airports—‘Trump’ Everywhere

A $100 bill featuring President Trump's signature, which he revealed on social media. An additional signature is located at the lower left corner. Screenshot from Truth Social.

This is not the first time ‘Trump merchandise’ has been released. In July, President Trump unveiled a $100 bill commemorating the 250th anniversary, featuring his signature, on social media.

However, since it typically takes several weeks for the US Mint to print bills and for the Federal Reserve to distribute them, it remains unclear when these notes will actually enter circulation. The same month, the State Department issued a limited-edition commemorative passport featuring President Trump’s face and a gold signature, with the Declaration of Independence as the background.

U.S. President Donald Trump included his own portrait alongside that of George Washington, the first U.S. president, on the entrance ticket for U.S. national parks. The ticket card is named "Beautiful America." Yonhap News.

The renaming of public facilities continues. In July, Palm Beach International Airport in Florida was officially renamed “Donald J. Trump International Airport.” In January this year, the annual National Park pass was issued with President Trump’s face printed alongside that of the nation’s first president, George Washington.

In December last year, a proposal was passed to rename the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.’s iconic performing arts venue, to the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.