Presidential $1 Coins: ‘In God We Trust’ Motto Moves in 2009. Are Coin Edge-Letterings Gone Forever?

   

A flood of stories has appeared regarding the forthcoming movement of "In God We Trust" from the edge to the face of Presidential $1 Coins. They all started with President Bush’s signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008.

CoinNews wrote about the legislative scrutiny in changing the motto’s location, expected the signing of the final legislation, reported about it minutes after it was signed and then surmised that the Presidential Dollar coins would not see change until 2009.

In truth, none of the "predictions" took a huge leap of insight;

• H.R. 2764, or the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, contained enough compromises to attain bipartisan support and presidential signature
  
  
• The same night the bill was signed into law, the U.S. Mint released images of all the 2008 Presidential $1 Coins and their design was exactly like the 2007 coins, making it easy enough to realize changes were not likely to happen until 2009

Assumptions and educated guesses are one thing, but will the motto changes actually happen in 2009?

U.S. Mint official: ‘In God We Trust’ motto will move on Presidential coins starting in 2009

The new law didn’t require an exact time for the Mint to relocate the motto. Pointedly, it stated the change:

“shall be put into effect by the Secretary of the Treasury as soon as is practicable after the date of enactment of this Act.”

No official statement for the timeline has been given by the Mint in the form of a press release. WorldNetDaily®, however, reported Mint public affairs deputy director Greg Hernandes as saying:

“The United States Mint proudly produces the coins that Congress authorizes and will promptly take steps to make these changes … The United States Mint plans to make this change beginning with the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins, which will coincide with the introduction of the first new Native American $1 Coins.”

Summarization of the Native American $1 Coins

The Native American $1 Coins Mr. Hernandes referenced is the legislation President Bush signed in Sept. 2007 that will commemorate Native Americans. In 2009, the Sacagawea Dollars will receive:

• Issue annual redesigns of the Sacagawea’s reverse image
  
  
• Include edge-incused inscriptions similar to the new Presidential $1 Coins

The Sacagawea coins will also be minted on par with the Presidential Dollars. (Due to the surplus of $1 coins, 2007 and 2008 Sacagawea coins are to be minted only for coin collectors.)

Will ANY edge-letterings remain for the Sacagawea and Presidential $1 Coins?

That very question has been asked many times since the new law was signed. The coin related sections of the newly signed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 simply amend past law.

In affect, the previous law and its requirement are the same. Only the portion involving "In God We Trust" was amended. The new Sacagawea and Presidential Dollars released in 2009 will still at least include edge-letterings of:

• The coin’s date of issue
• The mint mark
• "E Pluribus Unum”

2009 will be an interesting year for collectors. Along with everything else, the US Mint will release newly designed Presidential Dollars, Sacagawea Golden Dollars and six new quarters.