Washington Presidential Dollar
The Presidential dollar series began in 2007 in an effort to persuade Americans to finally make the switch from paper money to the dollar coin. More than 340 million George Washington Presidential dollars were struck to inaugurate the program, but after a few years, it was clear that Americans were not ready to give up the dollar bill. In 2012 mintages were slashed, and the program changed its focus to appeal more to coin collectors.
Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) has graded more than 750,000 Presidential dollars. One important mistake found on many issues (including Washington) is the missing edge lettering error. While a circulated Washington Presidential dollar is typically worth little more than face value, an example with this error can sell for about $25 in About Uncirculated condition.
NGC recently received a purported example of this coin without the edge lettering. The coin is easily identified as a counterfeit by the many variations in the design. The list includes the size of Washington’s head; his exaggerated jowls; extra details in his hair; the top corner of Liberty’s tablet being in line with the circular device instead of to the left of it; and subtle differences in the lettering, such as in the thickness of the strokes in GEORGE WASHINGTON. Interestingly, the counterfeit coin also has some severe die-clashing evident on both sides. This level of die-clashing isn’t impossible on a genuine modern coin from the U.S. Mint, but it is extremely rare.
The counterfeiter did get the coin’s weight correct, which may be a clue as to why this coin was struck. Dollar coins have been shunned by Americans for everyday transactions. However, they have found a place in regular circulation in parts of Latin America, most notably Ecuador, which has made the U.S. dollar its official currency. It is likely the counterfeiter struck this coin for circulation, rather than to fool collectors.
Not all counterfeits are this easy to identify. If you want to make sure that your collection is entirely genuine, remember that NGC backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the NGC Guarantee.
A version of this article appears in the February 2025 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).