“In God We Trust” on 2009 Presidential Dollars
Following the signing of H.R. 2764 "The Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2008, the Presidential Dollar edge lettering will undergo changes for 2009.
Specifically the law requires that the motto "In God We Trust" be placed on either the obverse or the reverse of the Presidential Dollar. For Presidential Dollars issued during 2007 and 2008, the motto appeared on the edge of the coin.
The change follows some public controversy about the "missing" motto. When the coins were initially released, some widely circulated emails and articles called for a boycott of the new dollar coins. According to these sources, the motto "In God We Trust" had been intentionally omitted from the coins as an attempt to "phase God out of America." Even though this was false, many still wanted to the motto moved to its former place of prominence.
The new edge will feature 13 stars to take the place of the former motto. Thirteen stars have been used on prior US coinage to symbolize the original 13 States. The edge design will feature seven five-pointed stars, the date, the mint mark, and then six five-pointed stars, and then the motto "E Pluribus Unum." This same edge will be used on the Native American Dollars which debut in 2009.
Starting with 2009, the "In God We Trust" motto appears on the obverse of the coin, below the portrait of each President.
