New Presidential Dollars

[Joker]

The Presidential Dollars Feature Edge Lettering

In keeping with Congress' desire to have more prominent imagery on the new dollar coins, the Presidential Golden Dollars have incused (recessed) lettering around the edges of the coin. The inscriptions "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum" are spelled out around the edge of the 2007 and 2008 coins, in addition to the date of minting and the mintmark. In 2009, by popular and congressional demand, the motto "In God We Trust" will be moved back to the surface of the coins.
The edge lettering is being applied randomly with regard to whether it faces up or down on the business strike coins, after the coins are struck. The business strike coins are fed through a vaccuum-like device that sucks them up into the edge lettering prep machine, which lines them up in whichever way the coins happen to enter the process (heads up or down.) Then the coins roll through a device that inscribes the edge lettering. It is expected that in the end, heads-up edge lettering should be about equal in number to coins which receive "tails-up" edge lettering.

The edge lettering for the proof coins is being done with a specially-designed three-part collar that will always (hopefully) ensure that the edge lettering faces upward. This process is different than for the business strike coins, and will produce much higher quality incused edge lettering on the Proof coins. U.S. circulating coins hadn't had edge lettering since 1933, so it is causing a lot of interest now that edge lettering has resumed, especially in light of all of the Presidential Dollar error coins being found. The U.S. Mint has redesigned the packaging for its various Mint Sets and Proof Sets so people can see the edges of the coins through the holders. I wouldn't be surprised to see the errors continuing to emerge as the Mint adjusts to this edge lettering process after such a long absence.