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December 7, 2016
Congressional Involvement in the Design of Circulating Coins
In April 1792, the Coinage Act (1 Stat. 246) established the
be present on coinage. This includes specific words such as
United States Mint. Pursuant to the act, Congress prescribed
“Liberty,” or “E Pluribus Unum,” as well as which
various aspects of the design of circulating coins. For
president appears on any given coin. For example, pursuant
example, the Coinage Act directed the U.S. Mint to strike
to law, all nickels must include the image of Thomas
coins of specific denominations—Eagles ($10), Half Eagles
Jefferson on the obverse (5 U.S.C. 5112(d)(1)) and all
($5), Quarter Eagles ($2.5), Dollars ($1), Half dollars
pennies must show an image of Abraham Lincoln (P.L.
($0.50), quarter dollars ($0.25), dimes ($0.10), half dimes
109-145).
($0.05), cents ($0.01), and half cents ($0.005)—with
specific images and words, including images of eagles and
For other aspects of coin design not specified by Congress,
the words “United States of America.” Additionally, recent
the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to change the
laws have prescribed certain images—such as which
design or die of a coin only once within 25 years of the first
Presidents appear on the obverse of which coins and what
adoption of the design features for that coin (31 USC
images are to appear on the coins’ reverse—through law.
5112(d)(1), unless Congress specifies otherwise.
Since its founding, the U.S. Mint has continued to strike
Recent Special Coinage Programs
circulating coins and Congress has continued to instruct the
In recent years, Congress has enacted legislation to change
U.S. Mint on coin designs, inscriptions, denominations, and
the design of circulating coins to honor the states, national
metallic contents. Except for the 1976-1977 Bicentennial
parks, and former presidents. These design changes were
issues, the designs on U.S. coins have remained similar
specified by law and mandated the issuance of more than
since 1964, when the John F. Kennedy half dollar was first
one coin design in a given year.
minted. Figure 1 shows the obverse design for current
coins.
State Quarters
From 1999 to 2008, the U.S. Mint issued five different
Figure 1. U.S. Mint Circulating Coins Obverse
quarters each year with designs on the reverse side, which
are emblematic of the 50 states, the District of Columbia
and the territories—Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa,
the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands (31
U.S.C. 5112 (l)(1)(A)). Coins were issued in the order in
which states entered the Union, beginning with Delaware
and ending with Hawaii. Coin designs were chosen by the
Secretary of the Treasury after consultation with the state
officials, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the
Citizens Coinage Advisory Commission. Quarter design
reflected important events and symbols from each state, but
were prohibited from containing images of any person,
living or dead. Figure 2 shows the first state quarter—
Delaware—and the last state quarter—Hawaii.
Figure 2. Delaware and Hawaii Quarters Reverse
Source: U.S. Mint.
Note: Images are not to scale.
Current Coinage Requirements
Most aspects of circulating coinage are required by law.
Pursuant to statute (31 U.S.C. §5112), Congress instructs
the Secretary of the Treasury, through the U.S. Mint, to
issue specific denominations of circulating coins and
specifies the coins’ size, weight, and metallic content. For
example, the U.S. Mint is to issue “a quarter dollar that is
0.955 inch in diameter and weights 5.67 grams” and is
Source: U.S. Mint, 50 State Quarter Report: 10 Years of Honoring Our
made of a copper and nickel alloy (5 U.S.C. 5112(a)(3) and
Nation’s History and Heritage.
(b)).
America the Beautiful Quarters
In addition to specific denominations, size, and metallic
As a follow up to the popularity of the 50 State Quarter
content, Congress also requires that certain design elements
program, in 2010 the America the Beautiful Quarter
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Congressional Involvement in the Design of Circulating Coins
program was launched following congressional
Figure 4. 2016 Presidential $1 Coins
authorization. The American the Beautiful quarters are a
12-year initiative that will create 56 different quarter
reverses to honor national parks and other national sites in
each state, territory, and the District of Columbia. Each
quarter in the series will honor a single site within the state
or territory selected by the Secretary of the Treasury in
consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the
state’s governor (31 U.S.C. 5112(t(3)(1)(i)). Figure 3
shows the 2016 America the Beautiful Quarter reverse
images.
Figure 3. 2016 America the Beautiful Quarters
Source: U.S. Mint “Presidential $1 Coins.”
Following the conclusion of the presidential $1 program,
the design of the $1 coin will revert to the “Sacagawea-
design” $1 coin (31 U.S.C. 5112(n)(9)).
Source: U.S. Mint “America the Beautiful Quarter Program.”
Notes: The 2016 Quarter are the Shawnee National Forest (IL), the
Proposals for Future Special Coinage
Cumberland Gap National Historic Park (KY), Harpers Ferry
Programs
National Historical Park (WV), Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The presidential $1 coin program ends in 2016 and unless
(ND), and Fort Moultrie at Fort Sumter National Memorial (SC).
renewed by the Secretary of the Treasury, the America the
Beautiful Quarter program ends in 2021. Should Congress
Following the conclusion of the American the Beautiful
want to direct the mint to alter the design of circulating
Quarter program in 2021, the Secretary of the Treasury is
coinage in the future, legislation would be required. For
authorized , but not required, to mint a second round of
example, in the 114th Congress (2015-2016), H.R. 6025 was
quarters honoring a national park or other site in each state
introduced to authorize the redesign of the $1 coin to honor
(31 U.S.C. 5112(t)(7)(B)). If the Secretary does not
“innovation[s], innovators, and pioneers from each state,
continue the program then the quarter-dollar’s obverse will
the District of Columbia, and each territory,” beginning in
continue to contain an image of George Washington, while
2017. The coins would honor four significant innovations,
the reverse will “contain an image of General Washington
innovators, or pioneers per year. Designs would be
crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton”
recommended by the governor or chief executive of each
(31 U.S.C. 5112(t(8)(A)).
state, the territories, and the District of Columbia.
Presidential Dollars
Should an act to redesign a particular type of coin, become
In the 109th Congress (2005-2006), Congress authorized the
law, the Secretary of the Treasury would incorporate the
redesign of the $1 coin to honor past presidents of the
specified design preferences to reflect congressional
United States (31 U.S.C. 5112(n)). Beginning in 2007, each
direction.
president who has been deceased for at least two years is
honored with a $1 coin. Consequently, Presidents Jimmy
For more information on commemorative coins, see CRS In
Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush,
Focus IF10262, Commemorative Coins: An Overview, by
and Barack Obama have not been included in the
Jacob R. Straus; and CRS Report R44623, Commemorative
presidential $1 coin program. Figure 4 shows the last three
Coins: Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for
Presidential $1 coin designs that were issued in 2016 for
Congress, by Jacob R. Straus. For more information on
Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan
currency see,
as well as the obverse of the coins, which feature the Statue
of Liberty.
Jacob R. Straus, Specialist on the Congress
IF10533
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Congressional Involvement in the Design of Circulating Coins
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10533 · VERSION 2 · NEW