By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
The Presidential Greenback sequence was produced repeatedly from 2007 by 2016, after which resumed in 2020 for a coin honoring President George H.W. Bush following his passing after the mandate of the unique program. For a lot of the sequence’ length, the United States Mint issued 4 cash per yr, together with the Sacagawea/Native American Greenback, which by regulation, had a mintage of 20% of the annual greenback coin output.
The Presidential Greenback laws’s proponents had ample proof to point out that no greenback coin program within the Mint’s historical past had succeeded and that the failure of the Sacagawea Greenback to realize traction was largely as a result of continued manufacturing of the $1 Federal Reserve Word. Previous precedent be damned, the invoice’s sponsors hoped that the discharge of a circulating commemorative greenback sequence would ignite enthusiasm for the coin and function an academic software to acquaint People with the nation’s former Commanders-in-Chief.
A Mint press launch dated August 15, 2007 (the day earlier than the discharge of the 2007 Thomas Jefferson Presidential Greenback) stated as a lot, revealing in a survey that the majority American’s didn’t know that Jefferson even was the nation’s third President, not to mention the creator of the Declaration of Independence. The Mint’s analysis mirrored what others had been saying anecdotally for years, as America’s academic system sidelined programs on civics and authorities to focus consideration on different topics, resembling math and studying.
Predictably, the Presidential Greenback coin didn’t flow into to any nice extent; by 2012, manufacturing of the coin was decreased to numbers essential to satisfy the demand of the Mint’s numismatic prospects. Any hope this system needed to train youngsters in regards to the Presidencies of William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, or Warren G. Harding by cash was misplaced.
Be that as it could, the primary yr of this system was met with enthusiasm (by collectors, no less than), as the primary 4 releases had been family names: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. From right here, the intense spots could be few and much between- Lincoln in 2010, Teddy Roosevelt in 2013, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 2014, Eisenhower and Kennedy in 2015, and the “Gipper” Ronald Reagan in 2016.
Every coin was launched alongside a gold $10 coin that was struck to honor the First Partner. For many who couldn’t afford the gold coin, a copper medallion that includes the identical design was issued at an reasonably priced worth.
Washington, being the primary United States President underneath the Structure, was honored with the primary coin. Circulation strikes had been produced on the Denver and Philadelphia mints, whereas the 2007-S George Washington Presidential Greenback Proof was struck on the San Francisco Mint and bought throughout various the Mint’s 2007 product choices. These merchandise included the Presidential Greenback Proof Set, the Silver and Clad Annual Proof Units, and the Presidential $1 Coin Historic Signature Set, which additionally included an intaglio print and a facsimile signature of the President (that very same signature would function on the 2018 American Innovation Greenback).
Throughout all product choices, the Mint reported gross sales of three,965,989 2007-S Presidential Greenback Proofs.
2007-S George Washington Presidential Greenback Coin Proof Market Information and Noteworthy Specimens
The commonest ordering choices for the 2007-S Washington Presidential Greenback had been the 2007 United States Mint Clad and Silver Proof Units, which featured one in all each coin issued for circulation in 2007. The Sacagawea Greenback was housed alongside the Lincoln Memorial Cent, Jefferson Nickel (Monticello Reverse Resumed), Roosevelt Dime, and Kennedy Half Greenback Proofs in a single plastic holder, whereas State Quarters for Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and Utah had been housed in a second holder.
The holder for the 2007 Presidential {Dollars} (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison) within the Proof Units featured an oil portray backdrop of the U.S. flag and the Structure. This similar packaging was used on the standalone Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set, first provided on the market at $14.95 on June 15, 2007.
Right this moment, the Presidential $1 Coin Proof Units usually promote for underneath $10 every, though gross sales have been reported for as little as $4 (face worth!). For these in search of solely the greenback cash of that yr, these units are the best choice.
Collectors might additionally buy the coin as a part of the Presidential $1 Coin Historic Signature Set, which was produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) and included an intaglio-printed copy of Adam’s signature offered by the White Home Historic Affiliation. This set was provided on the market in 2008, at a difficulty worth of $19.95; in the present day they promote for about $12.
As for the licensed market, greater than 62,000 examples of the 2007-S George Washington Presidential Greenback have been graded by NGC and PCGS, the place the cash usually grade Proof 69 or Proof 70 Deep Cameo/Extremely Cameo. Collectors of contemporary licensed cash desire the 70s over the 69s due to the notion that fashionable cash graded 70 are “excellent”. In fact, the grading corporations put forth a slender definition of the qualities essential to earn an ideal grade. They’re often graded in bulk, and human graders purposefully make the certification dedication with low magnification. Of all of the inefficiencies within the uncommon coin market, the grading of ultra-modern cash is the one most clearly begging for innovation.
Fashionable Proof cash licensed Proof 69 typically commerce for little greater than their uncooked counterparts, with the price of certification being greater than the retail worth of the coin. This can be a downside with the economics of contemporary coin certification that we talk about with our idea of the Terminal Grade. Proof 70 Deep Cameo/Extremely Cameo is the one viable grade for market makers.
Most 2007-S George Washington Presidential {Dollars} had been licensed in the course of the post-release window when pleasure for the brand new sequence was at its highest. Right this moment, these cash promote for $20 or much less – which, once more, is decrease than the price of commonplace submission charges. Bulk submitters probably get a deal that places the coin near breaking even. Consequently, just one 2007-S George Washington Presidential Greenback in Proof 70 has been added to the NGC census since no less than September 2024.
Latest eBay gross sales present a sample of Proof 70 cash promoting for $25-$30, usually at a hard and fast worth – roughly the identical worth they introduced 10-15 years in the past.
* * *
Market Information and Noteworthy Specimens
Prime Inhabitants: PCGS PR70DCAM (1,703, 1/2025), NGC PF70UCAM (10,094, 1/2025), and CAC N/A (0, 1/2025).
- PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, January 10, 2025 – $32. 1 bid.
- PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, January 9, 2025 – $44. Purchase It Now.
- PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, December 28, 2024 – $29.99. Purchase It Now.
- NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, December 26, 2024 – $22. Purchase It Now.
- PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, December 23, 2024 – $32. 1 bid.
- PCGS PR70DCAM: eBay, December 18, 2024 – $18. Purchase It Now.
- NGC PF70UCAM: eBay, December 19, 2024 – $24.50. 2 bids.
* * *
Design
Obverse:
The obverse of the 2007 Washington Presidential Greenback encompasses a three-quarters profile portrait of George Washington, engraved by future Chief Engraver Joseph F. Menna. Wrapping clockwise across the prime of the design is the inscription GEORGE WASHINGTON; Working counterclockwise beneath the effigy of Washington is the inscription 1st PRESIDENT 1789-1797.
Frequent Reverse:
Don Everhart’s reverse design options an ant’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty offset to the left. On the coin, Liberty occupies the underside proper quadrant, her prolonged elbow being the coin’s heart level. The design is framed by a skinny internal circle, which separates the graphic design from the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Beneath Liberty’s prolonged torch-bearing arm is the denomination $1. That is the frequent reverse design for all Presidential Greenback cash.
Edge:
The sting of the Presidential Greenback is lettered and options the mottos IN GOD WE TRUST and E PLURIBUS UNUM, the mintmark, the yr of issuance, and 13 five-pointed stars. This edge inscription could also be oriented dealing with the obverse (Place A) or the reverse (Place B).
Coin Specs
| Nation: | United States of America |
| 12 months of Challenge: | 2007 |
| Denomination: | One Greenback (USD) |
| Mintmark: | S (San Francisco) |
| Mintage: | 3,965,989 |
| Alloy: | .770 copper, .120 zinc, 0.070 manganese, 0.040 nickel |
| Weight: | 8.10 g |
| Diameter: | 26.55 mm |
| Edge: | Lettered: E PLURIBUS UNUM 2007 S IN GOD WE TRUST |
| OBV Designer: | Joseph Menna |
| REV Designer: | Don Everhart |
| High quality: | Proof |
* * *