Legislation authorizing the American Innovation $1 Coin Program was approved by the
United States Senate on June 20, 2018, amending an earlier
House bill, and the Senate-amended bill was approved by the
U.S. House of Representatives on June 27, 2018. It was signed into law by President
Donald Trump on July 18, 2018. The program was officially launched on December 14, 2018, with the release of a special introductory coin commemorating
George Washington's signing of the first
American patent into law, for a new method of making
potash and
pearl ash. However, these coins are not being released into circulation, and are only available at a premium in bags and rolls directly from the
United States Mint. Uncirculated issues bear either the "P" or "D" mint mark signifying its mintage at the
Philadelphia Mint or
Denver Mint respectively.
Proof and
reverse proof coins struck for collectors bear the "S" mint mark signifying its mintage at the
San Francisco Mint. Four new coins will be released each year "celebrating innovations and innovators" from each of the fifty states, the
District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories (
Puerto Rico,
Guam,
American Samoa, the
U.S. Virgin Islands, and the
Northern Mariana Islands). All coins issued through this program will have the same obverse design showing the
Statue of Liberty, and will contain the words: "
In God We Trust" and "$1". ==Coin designs==