Trump dollar goes on sale with waits over an hour

EL PAÍS (Sara González, September 2, 2026) reports that the United States Mint put its Semiquincentennial dollar featuring President Donald Trump on sale. Demand prompted the agency’s store to activate a virtual queue; in the opening minutes, the displayed wait rose to more than one hour.

Rolls, bags, and limits

The issue is offered as a 25-coin roll for US$61 and a 100-coin bag for US$154.50. These are circulating-quality coins struck in Philadelphia without a mint mark, but sold as numismatic products: each price exceeds the US$25 or US$100 face value of its contents. The initial household limit was two of each product through 2 p.m. ET on September 3.

Among the rolls and bags, the Mint randomly distributed some of the 250,000 coins struck on July 4 with a “JULY 4th” privy mark. Both the standard coins and the privy-marked pieces are legal tender for one dollar.

A golden dollar without gold

The obverse, by Chief Engraver Joseph Menna, portrays Trump with the inscriptions LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 1776 ~ 2026. The reverse adapts the presidential seal designed by Frank Gasparro: the eagle holds an olive branch and arrows, while the shield incorporates the number 250.

The golden color does not come from gold. The alloy is 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, and 2% nickel. Each coin weighs 8.10 g, measures 26.49 mm, and has a plain edge. This is a different issue from the one-ounce 24-karat gold proof coin the Mint has also announced for 2026.

Authority comes from the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which allows the Treasury Secretary to issue a dollar emblematic of the 250th anniversary in 2026. Read more in EL PAÍS (opens in a new tab) and the release report and specifications (opens in a new tab).