The 8th Presidential dollar in the series and 4th of those minted in 2008 is now reaching Americans’ pockets — the Martin Van Buren dollar coin.
The Martin Van Buren dollar, first released to the public on November 13, 2008, was the center of a special “launch” ceremony in Kinderhook, New York on December 5, 2008.
The event, honoring the anniversary of Van Buren’s birth (he would have turned 226 years old), saw public turnout and many clamored to get their hands on the new dollar coin.
Fun Facts About The Martin Van Buren Dollar Coin
- The Van Buren dollar was the last in the Presidential Dollar series with the phrase “In God We Trust” located on the edge. In 2009, “In God We Trust” was moved to the obverse (front, or heads side) of the coin.
- The Martin Van Buren dollar coin measures 26.50 millimeters in diameter and is 2 millimeters thick.
- The Van Buren dollar weighs 8.1 grams.
- The Van Buren dollar coin is made from a composition of 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, and 2% nickel.
- The obverse was designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. Don Everhart is the designer and sculptor-engraver for the reverse (back, or tails side), on which you can find a beautiful image of the Statue of Liberty.
Fun Facts About Van Buren, The President
- Martin Van Buren was the first president born as an American citizen.
- Van Buren was the first non-British-American president (he was a Dutch-American).
- Martin Van Buren served one term — from 1837 to 1841.
- Van Buren’s political resume from before his becoming our nation’s 8th president includes serving as the Governor of New York, Secretary of State, Senator, and Vice President. He was also an ambassador to Great Britain.
- Van Buren was an effective, popular, and well-skilled figure who was nicknamed “The Mistletoe Politician,” “The Little Magician,” and “The Red Fox of Kinderhook.”
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!
