2007-P George Washington Presidential Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

The 2007-P George Washington Presidential Dollar was the first Presidential Dollar coin issued for circulation and is the first in a series of circulating commemorative coins honoring the former presidents of the United States. The Philadelphia Mint struck 176,680,000 coins with the Washington design, a quantity that was 36 times higher than the total mintage of the 2006-P Sacagawea Dollar – and the Washington coin was one of five dollar coin designs that Philadelphia would produce this year.

Congress’s intent with the passage of the Presidential $1 Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) was to reintroduce the dollar coin to the American public as a viable circulating coin. Hoping for a repeat of the success of the 50 State Quarters program, the sponsor of that legislation, Representative Mike Castle (R-DE), also sponsored this bill.

The first year of the series represented the concept’s best chance, as the nation’s first four presidents–George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison–are largely taught in public school.

The 2007-P Washington Dollar was released on February 15, 2007, a date selected to honor the first president’s February 15, 1732 birthday. To mark the release, the United States Mint also offered a First Day Cover, including the Philadelphia and Denver Mint circulation strikes and a postage cancelation from Mount Vernon, Virginia.

The obverse of the 2007 Washington Presidential Dollar features a three-quarters profile portrait of George Washington, engraved by future Chief Engraver Joseph F. Menna, while the reverse features an upward-looking, partially sideways perspective of the Statue of Liberty, engraved by sculptor-engraver Don Everhart.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Top Population: PCGS MS67 (25*, 9/2024), NGC MS69 (3, 9/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 9/2024).

*Includes Position A and B populations.

• PCGS MS66 #11694622: eBay, August 12, 2024 – $5.50. Position B.
• PCGS MS66 #11796358: eBay, July 16, 2024 – $5.01. First Day of Issue. Position B.
• PCGS MS66 #13966790: eBay, July 16, 2024 – $9.00. First Day of Issue. Position A.
• PCGS MS66 #13802598: eBay, July 12, 2024 – $20.99. First Day of Issue. Position B.

2007-P Washington Presidential Dollar Coin Missing Edge Lettering

Approximately 250,000 Washington Presidential $1 Coins were released without statutory inscriptions applied to the coin’s edge. This feature is added after the obverse and reverse designs are impressed, and, for whatever reason, this batch of coins shipped without having gone through that process. The absence of one of these inscriptions, IN GOD WE TRUST, caused public outrage as some suggested that the omission was purposeful. This, of course, was not the case. Nevertheless, the Missing Edge Lettering error coins picked up the epithet “Godless Dollars“.

A large percentage of the Washington Missing Edge Lettering coins were released around the Jacksonville, Florida area and were reported by a speculator who was able to acquire them in large quantities. Over 50,000 examples have been certified, most by NGC. Most of these coins are graded MS65, but specimens have been graded as high as MS68.

Top Population: PCGS MS68 (3, 9/2024), NGC MS67 (104, 9/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 9/2024).

• NGC MS65 #1570584-007: eBay, September 11, 2024 – $21.50.
• NGC MS65 #1569308-004: eBay, September 10, 2024 – $22.99.
• PCGS MS65 #03762783: eBay, September 3, 2024 – $26.
• PCGS MS65 #13879052: eBay, July 14, 2024 – $24.95.

2007-P Washington Presidential Dollar Coin Satin Finish Specimen Strikes

United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Sets included one example of each coin struck by the United States Mint’s Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities. Coins from these sets generally are produced using the same procedures used to strike coins for circulation, but from 2005-2010, the U.S. Mint opted to “improve” the quality of these sets by using sandblasted dies, which gave the coins a satin finish.

The problem with this decision was that it created a new category of coin to collect that was not sufficiently unique or interesting to generate enthusiasm from the collecting community. The quality of the specimen strikes is typically excellent, and it is not unusual for these coins to grade MS68 or finer (which is not the case for the circulation strikes).

In addition to the full 2007 Uncirculated Coin Set, the United States Mint offered the specimen strike coins in a P-D Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set.

Top Population: PCGS MS69 (249, 9/2024), NGC MS69 (2, 9/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 9/2024).

• NGC MS68 #6589346-006: eBay, September 1, 2024 – $49.95.

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Design

Obverse:

A large three-quarter profile portrait of President George Washington dominates the obverse. Wrapping clockwise around the top of the design is the inscription GEORGE WASHINGTON; Running counterclockwise beneath the effigy of Washington is the inscription 1st PRESIDENT 1789-1797.

Common Reverse:

Mint sculptor-engraver Don Everhart’s common reverse for the Presidential Dollar series features an “ant’s-eye” view of the Statue of Liberty offset to the left. On the coin, Liberty occupies the bottom right quadrant, 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.

Edge:

The edge of the Presidential Dollar is lettered and features the mottos IN GOD WE TRUST and 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).

Coin Specifications

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