Presidential dollar errors: missing, doubled and upside-down edge lettering

On a Presidential $1 coin the date and mint mark are on the edge, not the face. The best-known error is the 2007 George Washington dollar with a blank edge (the "Godless dollar"), followed by doubled edge lettering on 2007 John Adams coins. Lettering that reads upside-down relative to the portrait is normal, not an error.

By the Coin Scanner team · Updated 2026-10-13

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Presidential dollars look ordinary on both faces. The interesting part is the rim. These were the first U.S. coins in decades with lettering stamped into the edge, and that extra step caused the errors collectors hunt for. This guide explains what the edge should say, which mistakes are real errors, and which "errors" are completely normal.

How the series worked

The 2005 law called for four presidents a year, starting in 2007 and following the order in which they served, beginning with George Washington. A president who served two separate terms, like Grover Cleveland, gets a coin for each. Living presidents could not appear, and a president who had died could not appear for two years after his death. The first coins entered circulation on February 15, 2007. Ronald Reagan, in 2016, was the last president of the original run. A separate law, Public Law 116-112, added George H.W. Bush, and the U.S. Mint released his coin from Philadelphia and Denver on December 4, 2020.

To keep the faces uncluttered, the law put the mottoes on the edge. In 2007 and 2008 the edge carries the date, mint mark, E PLURIBUS UNUM and IN GOD WE TRUST. After complaints about the motto's placement, a law passed at the end of 2007 required IN GOD WE TRUST to appear on a face of the coin. NGC notes that it moved to the obverse beginning with the 2009 coins. The date, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM stayed on the edge.

The errors worth looking for

Missing edge lettering: the "Godless dollar"

The edge lettering is applied after the coin is struck, in a separate machine. In early 2007 some George Washington dollars skipped that machine and left the Mint with a completely plain edge. In March 2007 the Mint said an unspecified number had left the Philadelphia Mint that way. NGC reports that a whole bin, perhaps 250,000 coins, was released by mistake, and that many turned up around the Federal Reserve branch in Jacksonville, Florida. Because the missing lettering included IN GOD WE TRUST, a reporter dubbed them "Godless dollars," and the name stuck.

The same error happened later on other presidents. NGC catalogs missing-edge-lettering coins for John Adams, Jefferson, Madison and later issues through at least 2011. The Mint struck 340,360,000 Washington dollars in total (176,680,000 at Philadelphia and 163,680,000 at Denver), so a blank-edge coin is uncommon but not a great rarity. NGC's price guide, in an older October 2014 update, listed a Mint State 65 example at about $60.

Doubled edge lettering (2007 John Adams)

After the Washington mistake, the Mint was careful to run every coin through the lettering machine. Some John Adams dollars went through it twice, so their edges show two sets of lettering. Because coins enter the machine in either orientation, NGC recognizes two kinds:

• Overlapped: both sets of lettering face the same way, one partly on top of the other.
• Inverted: the two sets run in opposite directions.

These are popular but usually inexpensive. NGC's price guide (December 2018 update) listed an overlapped 2007-P Adams at about $40 in Mint State 65. NGC also notes that a small number of blank planchets received edge lettering without ever being struck.

Upside-down lettering is not an error

Turn a few Presidential dollars so the portrait is upright and read the edge. On some coins the lettering reads right side up; on others it reads upside down. Both are normal. The coins enter the edge-lettering machine in random orientation, so neither position is rarer or worth more. Sellers who list "upside-down edge error" coins at a premium are describing a regular coin.

How to check your Presidential dollar

1. Identify the president on the front. From 2009 on, IN GOD WE TRUST appears on the obverse too.
2. Roll the coin and read the edge. You should find the date, a P, D or S mint mark, and E PLURIBUS UNUM (plus IN GOD WE TRUST on 2007–2008 coins).
3. If the edge is blank, look at it under magnification. A genuine missing-lettering coin has an edge that was simply never lettered, so it should show no tool marks. FactCheck.org reports that some people grind the lettering off normal coins to sell them as errors, and that the Mint has warned that marketing altered coins as genuine errors is a federal crime. Scratches, flat spots or file lines on the edge are warning signs.
4. Check for two sets of lettering, either overlapping or running in opposite directions.
5. Weigh it if something seems off. A genuine coin weighs 8.07 g.

Coin Scanner reads both faces of a coin and gives an estimated value range for the type and date. Since the date and mint mark of a Presidential dollar are on the edge, also check the edge yourself with the steps above. For a possible error, especially a blank-edge coin, have it authenticated and graded by a recognized service such as PCGS or NGC before relying on any estimate.

Why you rarely see them in change

The coins never caught on in everyday use. On December 13, 2011, the Treasury announced that it was suspending production of Presidential dollars for circulation, effective immediately. The Federal Reserve was already holding more than $1.4 billion worth of the coins in its vaults. The series continued only as collector issues sold by the Mint. They were no longer shipped out through the Federal Reserve banks, which is why later dates rarely turn up in pocket change. If you are sorting a mixed jar, our Sacagawea dollar errors guide covers the other golden dollar.

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