Chester Arthur Presidential Dollar
Scheduled for release on February 16, 2012, the Chester Arthur Presidential Dollar will represent the twenty-first release of the ongoing series honoring the former Presidents of the United States in the order served.
Chester Arthur had assumed the Presidency in October 1881, following the assassination of James Garfield. He had only served for six months in the position of Vice President and prior to that Collector of the Port of New York. During his tenure as president, he became a champion for civil service reform.
Leading up to the sixth year of the Presidential Dollars, there had been some controversy and debate about the status of the program. The legislative requirement for Federal Reserve Banks to make the coins available during an introductory period led to an unintended stockpile of coins, stored at the expense of taxpayers. In response, several bills were introduced in Congress seeking to limit or abolish the series. Meanwhile, a study by the GAO determined savings of billions of dollars if the United States switched from paper dollars to coins. This prompted a bill which would require the transition to dollar coins within four years. Although none of the legislation became law, the Treasury Secretary used existing authority to suspend production of Presidential Dollar coins for circulation. The coins will still be minted in limited numbers for collectors.
The obverse design for the Chester Arthur Dollar is designed and sculpted by Don Everhart. The portrait is surrounded by the required inscriptions indicating his name, “In God We Trust”, the order of the Presidency and the years served.
The reverse design of the coin will be the familiar rendition of the Statue of Liberty also designed by Don Everhart with inscriptions “United States of America” and the denomination “$1″.
The Chester Arthur Presidential Dollar will only be available directly from the United States Mint within various numismatic products, bags, and rolls.
Chester Arthur Presidential Dollar Coin Specifications:
- Diameter: 26.5 mm
- Weight: 8.1g
- Thickness: 2.0 mm
- Edge: Lettered
- Composition: 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese, 2% nickel
- Mintage: TBD
