First, we saw Susan B. Anthony one-dollar coins, then Sacagawea coins. They were novelties, but neither coin was particularly popular with consumers for everyday use. But after the enormous success of the 50-state quarters program, the United States Mint has decided to try introducing dollar coins again.

In February 2007, golden one-dollar coins will begin circulating, each depicting the likeness of one of 37 U.S. presidents who are no longer living. They will be minted in the order the presidents served, one every three months until completion.

So for 2007, the George Washington dollar coin will appear, followed by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and finally James Madison. When Grover Cleveland’s turn for minting rolls around in 2012, he’ll get two separate coins, unlike all the other presidents. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, elected in 1884, defeated in 1888, and elected again in 1892.

How These Coins Compare to Others in Circulation

According to a statement by officials at the U.S. Mint, one reason for the new program is to revitalize the collection of U.S. coins. To do so, these coins will feature striking artwork and a unique placement of the words. Although they are the same size, weight and metal composition as the Sacagawea coins, the presidential dollars will feature larger portraits on the front and the dates of presidential service. To make room, the words “In God We Trust,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and the date of minting or issuance and the mint mark will appear on the edge of each coin. The back, or reverse side of the coin will include the words “United States of America,” the “$1” symbol, and the image of the Statue of Liberty.

Point of interest: The presidential dollars will be the only circulating U.S. coin that does not bear the word “liberty,” instead relying on the Statue of Liberty on the back to represent the concept.

Americans have recently expressed a renewed interest in coin collecting. "Congress recognized that the 50 State Quarters Program showed how a systematically changing design can spark public interest in a coin and we’re hoping to build on that success," explained Edward C. Moy, director of the U.S. Mint.

"The new Presidential $1 Coins are an educational and fun way to learn about former Presidents," he added.

Of course, nobody expects that the coins will replace lightweight, foldable paper dollars. But if they did, the cost of producing money would drop significantly because they last longer. One report from the U.S. General Accounting Office estimated that if dollar coins replaced dollar bills, the government would save approximately $500 million per year. In 2005, the estimated cost to produce a one-dollar bill was 5.7 cents, and it is kept in circulation about 22 months. A coin costs a lot more to mint but according to some estimates, it can remain in circulation for 30 years or more.

Here is the schedule of presidential coins from the U.S. Mint:

Year		President	Years in Office
2007	1	George Washington	1789-1797
	2	John Adams	1797-1801
	3	Thomas Jefferson	1801-1809
	4	James Madison	1809-1817
2008	5	James Monroe	1817-1825
	6	John Quincy Adams	1825-1829
	7	Andrew Jackson	1829-1837
	8	Martin Van Buren	1837-1841
2009	9	William Henry Harrison	1841
	10	John Tyler	1841-1845
	11	James K. Polk	1845-1849
	12	Zachary Taylor	1849-1850
2010	13	Millard Fillmore	1850-1853
	14	Franklin Pierce	1853-1857
	15	James Buchanan	1857-1861
	16	Abraham Lincoln	1861-1865
2011	17	Andrew Johnson	1865-1869
	18	Ulysses S. Grant	1869-1877
	19	Rutherford B. Hayes	1877-1881
	20	James A. Garfield	1881
2012	21	Chester A. Arthur	1881-1885
	22	Grover Cleveland	1885-1889
	23	Benjamin Harrison	1889-1893
	24	Grover Cleveland	1893-1897
2013	25	William McKinley	1897-1901
	26	Theodore Roosevelt	1901-1909
	27	William H. Taft	1909-1913
	28	Woodrow Wilson	1913-1921
2014	29	Warren Harding	1921-1923
	30	Calvin Coolidge	1923-1929
	31	Herbert Hoover	1929-1933
	32	Franklin Delano Roosevelt	1933-1945
2015	33	Harry S Truman	1945-1953
	34	Dwight David Eisenhower	1953-1961
	35	John F. Kennedy	1961-1963
	36	Lyndon B. Johnson	1963-1969
2016	37	Richard M. Nixon	1969-1974

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