2007-D John Adams Presidential Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….

Released on May 17, 2007, the 2007-D John Adams Presidential Dollar was the Denver Mint’s version of the second coin issued in the Presidential Dollar series. The initial enthusiasm for the Presidential Dollar series was strongest in its first year, mainly due to the significant legacies of the nation’s first four presidents: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Among these, John Adams stands out as the only president not from Virginia and the only one to serve a single term (1797-1801).

Despite his one term, Adams was a profoundly significant president and an important statesman. His life and legacy received a considerable boost in 2008 with the release of the acclaimed HBO miniseries John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. The series portrayed Adams as a man of principle, albeit one who was somewhat sensitive to criticism. It effectively depicted the Adams administration’s crucial efforts to keep the fledgling United States out of war with both France and England, as well as his complex and at times bitter rivalry with Thomas Jefferson.

John Adams: A Life Dedicated to American Independence and Republicanism

Founding Father John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree (now part of Quincy), Massachusetts, to John Adams Sr., a farmer and church deacon, and Susanna Boylston Adams. Although initially an indifferent student, young Adams’s intellectual curiosity eventually propelled him to Harvard College, which he entered in 1751. After graduating, he pursued a career in law, and by 1758, he had earned his law degree, officially commencing his legal career in 1759.

In 1764, Adams married his third cousin, Abigail Smith. Their remarkable partnership, characterized by a profound intellectual connection and mutual support, would endure for over five decades. Together, they had six children, including their eldest son, John Quincy Adams, who would later become the sixth President of the United States.

Adams quickly emerged as a prominent figure in the colonial opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765. This act imposed a direct tax on the colonists, ostensibly to fund British troops stationed in America to protect against the French. However, colonists viewed it as an egregious overreach, as they had no direct representation in the British Parliament. Adams and other activists rallied behind the powerful motto, “No Taxation without Representation,” which encapsulated the legal and political problems inherent in the act. Amidst escalating British interference in American affairs, Adams began to articulate his views on colonial politics through insightful essays published in newspapers.

Rising to the top of the legal profession in Boston, Adams gained a degree of notoriety when he controversially defended the British soldiers accused of killing five American colonists in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. Despite his conviction that the Crown was mistreating Americans, Adams held an unwavering belief that all individuals, regardless of their actions, were entitled to a vigorous defense before a jury of their peers. His meticulous legal work led to the acquittal of most of the soldiers, a testament to his commitment to the principles of justice and due process.

Over the next few years, Great Britain intensified its efforts to assert control over the colonies. While radical figures like his cousin, Samuel Adams, openly advocated for complete independence, John Adams, a man initially inclined towards reform within the existing system, was progressively radicalized by Parliament’s aggressive measures. After colonists, disguised as Native Americans, famously dumped thousands of pounds of tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act of 1773—an event known as the Boston Tea Party— Adams, despite it being an act of vandalism, lauded the protestors’ “dignity, a majesty, a sublimity.” Following the passage of the Intolerable Acts of 1774, John Adams served as a delegate from Massachusetts to the First Continental Congress. By the time of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Adams recognized that the era of reconciliation and compromise had come to an end, and the path to outright independence was inevitable.

During the American War for Independence, John Adams played a pivotal and tireless role. He famously nominated George Washington to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the fledgling Continental Army, a decision that proved crucial to the American victory. Adams also organized and served on the committee tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. While he deferred to Thomas Jefferson for the eloquent prose of the document, it was Adams’s formidable legal acumen and persuasive argumentation in Congress that ultimately secured its adoption on July 2, 1776, and its formal approval on July 4, 1776. With relentless dedication, often to the point of exhaustion, Adams immersed himself in the practical details and administrative complexities necessary to sustain the Revolution.

When George Washington became the nation’s first President in 1789, Adams, having garnered significant respect for his wartime contributions and diplomatic efforts abroad, became the country’s first Vice President. After Washington’s two terms in office, Adams was elected President in 1796, serving from 1797 through 1801. This election, the first in United States history to be openly contested, was marked by an unprecedented level of vitriolic partisanship. Supporters of Adams and Jefferson engaged in fierce rhetorical battles, demonstrating a degree of political acrimony that many Americans today often mistakenly believe is a more recent phenomenon.

In office, Adams dedicated himself to solidifying the foundations of the nascent republic. However, his administration is perhaps most remembered for a rapidly deteriorating relationship with revolutionary France, which nearly led to war, and the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. These deeply unpopular laws, ostensibly passed for national security, allowed for the imprisonment of individuals who criticized the government, raising significant concerns about the suppression of free speech. This perceived attack on individual liberty deeply alarmed Thomas Jefferson, prompting him to draft the Kentucky Resolution, which contained sentiments that foreshadowed the idea of states’ rights and even, implicitly, secession, barely a decade after the Constitution’s ratification.

After losing the contentious 1800 election to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams retired to his home in Massachusetts. He consciously chose to refrain from publicly commenting on the new administration’s actions, thereby establishing a crucial tradition of former presidents refraining from directly criticizing their successors– a norm that largely held for centuries. John Adams passed away on July 4, 1826, coincidentally the very same day as his long-time rival and ultimately reconciled friend, Thomas Jefferson, marking a poignant end to the lives of two of America’s most influential founding fathers on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

* * *

Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Since the 2007-D John Adams Presidential Dollar is an ultramodern circulating commemorative coin, the secondary market is still relatively immature. Therefore, the best place to look for current price trends is eBay, as it is for similar issues.

Raw 2007-P Adams Dollar coins have sold for $2 to $3.50 over the last few months.

Top Population: PCGS MS68 (1, 7/2025), NGC MS66PL (7, 8/2025), and CAC N/A (7/2025).

• PCGS MS65: eBay, June 9, 2025 – $14.99. First Day of Issue
• PCGS MS64: eBay, June 5, 2025 – $8.50. First Day of Issue.

* * *

Later in the year, the Uncirculated 2007-P John Adams Presidential Dollar was available in the United States Mint’s 2007 Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set. Collectors could buy the eight-coin Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set (Philadelphia and Denver) for $15.95 retail (about $24 in 2025 inflation-adjusted dollars), or the P- and D-mint four–coin sets for $8.95 each (about $13.60 IAD).

An eight-coin set sold on eBay on July 10, 2025, for $15. Although the set has lost value since its initial release, it remains a bargain on the secondary market for collectors of the series.

The 2007-D John Adams Presidential Dollar was also available in the 2007 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set.

Design

Obverse Inscriptions:

Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Joel Iskowitz adapted American artist John Trumbull’s 1793 portrait of Adams, in which the then-sitting Vice President covered his bald head with a powdered wig. Powdered wigs were slowly losing favor by the late 18th century but remained common amongst the older gentry. Iskowitz gives the top of Adams’ head more detail than exists in the Trumbull painting. So too, with Adams’ shirt.

As is standard for the early Presidential Dollar designs, the inscription at the top of the design is the President’s name, while the inscriptions at the bottom read the ordinal number of the Presidency and the dates of the Administration. For the Adams Dollar, these inscriptions read: JOHN ADAMS | 2nd PRESIDENT | 1797 – 1801. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles L. Vickers sculpted Iskowitz’s design. Iskowitz’s designer initials JI appear on the cloth of Adam’s right shoulder (viewer’s left) and Vicker’s CLV initial appears on the cloth of Adam’s left shoulder.

Common Reverse:

Don Everhart’s reverse design features an ant’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty offset to the left. On the coin, Liberty occupies the bottom right quadrant of the coin, her extended elbow being the coin’s center point. The design is framed by a thin inner circle, which separates the graphic design from the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Beneath Liberty’s extended torch-bearing arm is the denomination $1. This is the common reverse design for all Presidential Dollar coins.

Edge:

The edge of the Presidential Dollar is lettered and features the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, the mintmark, the year of issuance, and 13 five-pointed stars. This edge inscription may be oriented facing the obverse (Position A) or the reverse (Position B).

Designers

Artist and illustrator Joel Iskowitz joined the U.S. Mint’s design staff in 2005 and worked there until 2018. He currently takes part in the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) (View Designer’s Profile).

After a lengthy career as a sculptor for the Franklin Mint, Charles L. Vickers joined the U.S. Mint’s Engraving Department in December 2003. He retired in March 2016 and passed away on December 30, 2022, after a period of ill health (View Designer’s Profile).

Don Everhart joined the United States Mint in 2004 after a long and successful career as a sculptor and designer of medals. He retired in 2017 and now participates in the AIP (View Designer’s Profile).

Coin Specifications

* * *