The 2026 Iowa Innovation dollar, depicting Dr. Norman Borlaug holding a sheaf of wheat and wheat stalks, is now available from the United States Mint in rolls and bags.
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The coin is the 29th issue in the Mint’s American Innovation® $1 Coin series and honors Borlaug, an American agronomist whose work advancing crop development helped address global food shortages.
"This coin celebrates Iowa and Dr. Norman Borlaug, a renowned American innovator and Nobel Prize winner for their lasting contributions to agricultural innovation and global food security," said Kristie McNally, Acting Director of the Mint. "The Mint takes great pride in sharing his accomplishments to inspire future creators and scientists in pursuing new knowledge in different fields of study."
"Iowa is proudly represented on the American Innovation $1 Coin by Dr. Norman Borlaug — an Iowa farm boy turned world-renowned scientist who sparked the Green Revolution, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and whose legacy to prevent worldwide hunger lives on today," said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Product options include 25-coin rolls and 100-coin bags, with circulating-quality coins struck at the Philadelphia or Denver Mints.
Design for the Iowa Innovation Dollar
A waist-up portrait of Dr. Norman Borlaug appears on the reverse of the Iowa Innovation $1 coin, with wheat imagery underscoring his agricultural legacy. Inscriptions include "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "IOWA," "NORMAN BORLAUG," and "FATHER OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION." The reverse was designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program designer Don Everhart and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer.
All American Innovation $1 coins share a common obverse design depicting the Statue of Liberty, created by Artistic Infusion Program artist Justin Kunz and sculpted by Mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill. Inscriptions on the obverse read "IN GOD WE TRUST" and "$1."
A stylized gear privy mark, representing industry and innovation, also appears on the obverse. For 2026, the privy incorporates a Liberty Bell with the inscription "250" to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Edge-incused inscriptions include "E PLURIBUS UNUM," the year "2026," and a mint mark (P or D) indicating the coin’s production facility.
Prices, Ordering and Product Limits
Iowa Innovation dollars are offered in 25-coin rolls priced at $36.25 and 100-coin bags priced at $123.50. The products are available through the U.S. Mint’s online store in the American Innovation product section.
Production limits include 8,400 rolls from Philadelphia and 7,350 rolls from Denver, along with 3,150 bags from Philadelphia and 2,950 from Denver. An initial household order limit of 10 units per product applies.
American Innovation Dollars for 2026
Introduced in 2018, the U.S. Mint’s American Innovation $1 Coin Program began with a single coin commemorating George Washington’s signing of the first U.S. patent. Since then, the series has expanded to four new issues annually, each recognizing an innovation associated with a different U.S. state.
The four 2026 American Innovation $1 Coins include:
- Iowa $1 Coin, honoring Dr. Norman Borlaug and his pioneering work in agronomy
- Wisconsin $1 Coin, featuring a stylized aerial view of the Cray-1 supercomputer
- California $1 Coin, depicting a young Steve Jobs seated in a northern California landscape
- Minnesota $1 Coin, showing a 1940s-era truck equipped with an early front-mounted refrigeration unit
The series is scheduled to continue through 2032, celebrating invention and innovation from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories.
In addition to bags and rolls, the 2026 American Innovation $1 Coins will also appear in other numismatic offerings, including proof and reverse proof sets.
