The United States Mint today releases the 2026 California Innovation dollar, a new $1 coin featuring a young Steve Jobs and a special Liberty Bell "250" privy mark for the nation’s Semiquincentennial. Set against a northern California landscape, the design reflects Jobs’ vision of making complex technology feel intuitive and natural.
Available at noon ET in rolls and bags, the new dollar marks the 31st state-specific issue in the Mint’s American Innovation® $1 Coin series and the third of four designs scheduled for release this year. Rolls and bags containing the first two 2026 coins are no longer available.
"Steve Jobs was a remarkable innovator and transformed how the world connects and communicates," said Mint Director Paul Hollis. "Through this coin, the Mint honors his incredible work and recognizes his importance to both California and the United States."
Product options include 25-coin rolls and 100-coin bags containing circulating-quality coins struck at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.
Designs for the California Innovation Dollars
Selected from six candidate designs, the reverse shows Steve Jobs seated against a classic northern California backdrop of rolling hills dotted with oak trees. Captured in a quiet, reflective moment, his posture and expression evoke the way this landscape helped shape his vision — turning complex technology into something intuitive and organic.
Inscriptions read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and CALIFORNIA, with additional lettering honoring Jobs’ legacy: STEVE JOBS and a portion of a famous quote reading MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL.
The design was created by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Elana Hagler and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill.
All American Innovation $1 coins feature a shared obverse (heads side) design of the Statue of Liberty, created by Artistic Infusion Program artist Justin Kunz and sculpted by 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.
Along the edge of each coin are the inscriptions E PLURIBUS UNUM, the year 2026, and a mint mark — either "P" or "D" — indicating whether the coin was produced at the Philadelphia or Denver Mint.
Prices, Ordering and Product Limits
The 25-coin rolls of the California Innovation dollars are priced at $61.00, while 100-coin bags are available for $154.50. These prices are unchanged from the previous program release in April for the Wisconsin Innovation dollar, though they reflect a notable increase compared to earlier issues in the series, such as the Iowa coin, which launched in January at $36.25 for rolls and $123.50 for bags.
The products are available through the U.S. Mint’s online store in the American Innovation product section.
Limits are somewhat higher from previous issues, with 9,600 rolls from Philadelphia, 8,550 from Denver, 4,000 bags from Philadelphia, and 3,800 from Denver. A household order limit of 10 units per product applies.
American Innovation Dollars for 2026
The U.S. Mint’s American Innovation $1 Coin Program started in 2018 with its inaugural coin recognizing George Washington’s signing of the first U.S. patent. Since then, the series has continued with four new releases annually, each highlighting an innovation from a different state.
The four 2026 American Innovation $1 Coins include:
- Iowa $1 Coin, honoring Dr. Norman Borlaug and his groundbreaking contributions to agronomy
- Wisconsin $1 Coin, featuring a stylized aerial depiction of the Cray-1 supercomputer
- California $1 Coin, portraying a young Steve Jobs set against a northern California landscape
- Minnesota $1 Coin, illustrating a 1940s-era truck fitted with an early front-mounted refrigeration unit
When completed in 2032, the series will include coins celebrating invention and innovation from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories.
In addition to bags and rolls, the 2026 American Innovation dollars will also appear in a reverse proof set scheduled for release this fall.
