The 3rd year of the Presidential dollar program began in 2009.
To kick off the year, the U.S. Mint released a dollar coin which honors our nation’s 9th president: William Henry Harrison.
See what’s different about the William Henry Harrison dollar coin…
Controversy: In God We Trust
Coin enthusiasts will probably notice a big difference between the Presidential dollars in 2009, versus those that were minted during 2007 and 2008.
The motto “In God We Trust,” which had been placed on the edge of the coin, was moved to the obverse (front side) of the coin in 2009 — just to the bottom left of the president’s portrait.
The U.S. Mint did this because there have been many people who complained that the Presidential dollars supposedly did not bear the very motto that first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864.
Of course, those who decried the motto’s apparent absence were usually not aware that “In God We Trust” was still on the Presidential dollar (even though it wasn’t as obvious as on most U.S. coins).
Also, there are people who indeed were upset that the motto was not as prominent on the Presidential dollar as it is on other U.S. coins.
With the motto placed on the front of the coin, all controversy about the motto’s placement on the Presidential dollar should now be over.
The Presidential dollar features edge-lettering, “E Pluribus Unum”.
The year and mint mark of the Presidential dollar is found on the edge of the coin.
The William Henry Harrison Dollar Coin
The Harrison Presidential dollar was engraved by Joseph Menna.
Aside from the relocation of the motto “In God We Trust,” the Harrison dollar generally looks much like the other Presidential dollar coins in the series.
When Harrison became president in 1841, he was then the oldest person ever to lead our nation. Harrison held that record until 1981, when President Ronald Reagan became the oldest commander-in-chief.
President Harrison sadly did not have long in office, though. President Harrison lived only one month into his presidency before passing away from pneumonia.
Obtaining Harrison Dollar Coins
Presidential dollars did not circulate as well as many advocates of the Presidential dollar coin would have liked.
The Harrison Presidential dollar can be obtained at the following locations:
- At your local bank.
- At some stores which promote dollar coin usage.
- From some vending machines — especially those used for transit systems in major cities.
- From a coin dealer and the United States Mint.
More About Presidential Dollar Coins
- Presidential dollar coin history
- About William Henry Harrison
- Presidential $1 coin unveiled to mixed reviews
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
