John Adams Dollar Coin Value: How Much Is It Worth Today?
Although regular strike John Adams dollar coins in circulation aren’t worth more than their face value of $1, the story is quite different for error coins and those still in mint condition. How can you spot and determine a John Adams Dollar coin value?
Getting a grip on the intrinsic process of coin grading and identification is important to spot John Adams dollar coins whose worth exceeds face value. You’ll need to understand the important history coin detailing plays in determining a coin’s value. So read on.
John Adams Dollar Coin Value Chart |
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| Mint Mark | Good – Extremely Fine | Uncirculated
MS60 |
Choice Uncirculated
MS63 |
Gem Uncirculated
MS65 |
| John Adams P Mint Mark Dollar Coin | $1 | $3 | $6 | $12 – $20 |
| John Adams D Mint Mark Dollar Coin | $1 | $3 | $5 | $12 |
| John Adams S Mint Mark Dollar Coin | N/A | N/A | $4 | $5 |
John Adams P Mint Mark Dollar Coin Value
P mint mark John Adams dollar coins are those coins with a “P” on the edge of the coin, which indicates that the coin in question is from the Philadelphia mint. The Philadelphia mint is responsible for the 112,420,000 of these coins circulated, and because they were the most produced in the series, they are the easiest to find.
Finally, some errors recorded with the John Adams P mint mark dollar coins include doubled edge letter overlap errors and missing edge letterings.
History
The John Adams dollar coin is part of the Presidential Dollar coin series program created to honor non-living former Presidents of the United States of America. This bill, signed into law by then-President George W. Bush on December 22, 2005, kicked off on January 1, 2007, and the program continues to this day.
The 2007 – 2011 series were minted in large numbers; however, this led to a vast number of unused $1 coins, so later series spanning 2012 – 2016 were minted for only coin collectors and historians.
John Adams, born October 30, 1735, was a founding Father and former President from 1797 to 1801. However, before he became President, he was Vice President to George Washington and the first U.S. president to live in the White House. He was also the Father to Future President John Quincy, the 6th President of the United States who was in office from March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829.
John Adams, who died on July 4, 1826, at the ripe age of 90, has his wife Abigail Adams on the first spouse coins series, which were issued to honor the spouses of the dead former Presidents.
John Adams made several notable contributions to coinage legislation in the United States. Some of these include;
- the Act of February 1, 1798, which relates to using a foreign currency as legal tender in the United States for a period of three years.
- the Act of April 1, 1800,
- and the Act of March 3, 1801, which directs the United States mints to remain in Philadelphia.
The Obverse
The John Adams Dollar coin’s obverse is similar to several Presidential Dollar coin series. On this obverse is an image of John Adams, a portrait designed by Joel Iskowitz who was the program master for the Presidential series. The image used was sculpted by Charles L. Vickers.
Other inscriptions you will find on the obverse of John Adams’s dollar include,
- 2nd PRESIDENT
- 1797 – 1801
- JOHN ADAMS
The Reverse
The reverse of every coin in the Presidential series is similar. You’ll find the statue of Liberty holding a torch above her head, the inscription, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the face value of the coin, $1; all of this is the work of non-other than sculptor – Engraver Don Everhart.
The Edge
The details along the edge of the Presidential coin series are also worth noting. On the John Adams dollar coin, you’ll find the year the coin was minted, 2007, the mint mark, the legend, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and IN GOD WE TRUST. On the edge of this coin, you’ll also find 13 stars.
Details
This Presidential dollar coin is made from an alloy of 6% zinc, 88.5% copper, 3.5% manganese, and nickel clad to a pure copper core. It weighs 8.07 grams and has a diameter of 26.5mm. They were minted in Philadelphia, Denver, and the San Francisco mint.
Finally, you must realize that the John Adams dollar coin series available in circulation takes two positions, position A and position B. For position A, the lettering reads in the opposite direction when the President’s portrait is upright, while for position B, the edge lettering reads normal if the portrait on the obverse is not inverted.
Value
John Adams dollar coins with the P mint mark are worth a face value of $1 in their circulated state, regardless of whether they are good, fine, or extremely fine. The only reason why a Philadelphia mint John Adams dollar coin will be worth more than its face value is the presence of a visible error or if the coin is still in mint state.
Special Strike Satin Finish coins in this series are worth as much as $150 in mint states, while an MS66 grade with a double edge overlap is valued as high as $225. You should also know that the Philadelphia mint did not produce proof coins for the John Adams dollar coin.
Finally, the auction record for the John Adams P Mint mark dollar coin is held by an MS64 grade coin sold by Heritage Auctions on November 9, 2011. It sold for a whopping $2300.
John Adams D Mint Mark Dollar Coin Value
In addition to the Philadelphia mint, the mint in Denver produced a bulk of the John Adams dollar coins in circulation today. A total of 112,140,000 coins were produced bearing the D mint mark. These coins are known to have missing edge lettering errors and double edge lettering errors, which could be overlapped or inverted. Circulation-struck coins in this series were released on May 22, 2009.
The value of a John Adams D mint mark dollar coin from the Denver mint depends on the rarity of the coin. They range from $3 in the uncirculated state to $35 depending on the coin’s condition and rarity.
John Adams S Mint Mark Dollar Coin Value
John Adams dollar coins with the S mint mark total only about 3,965,989 in number, making them the least number produced in the series. These coins are all proof coins as neither regular strike coins nor specimen strike coins were struck in the San Francisco mint.
Unlike regular strike coins whose edges were struck using a Schuler Edge lettering machine here the edge inscriptions on Presidential John Adams S mint mark proof coins were struck using a segmented three-part collar die.
During the period these coins were released into circulation (Mid-June 2007), they were sold as a set, and each set contained one of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison’s Presidential dollar coins. A set cost $14.95.
Today, only uncirculated Proof sets of the John Adams dollar coins are accounted for and can cost anywhere from $3 to $30, depending on the coin’s grade. The Proof set S mint mark John Adams dollar coin has an auction record of $127. This was a PR70 grade specimen sold on January 20, 2008, by Heritage Auctions.
John Adams Dollar Coin Grading
Although US-minted coins are graded from good to uncirculated mint state, the bulk of the John Adams Presidential dollar coin are worth less than face value if they are below the uncirculated grade. To find those worth collecting, examine the obverse, reverser, and edges of Proof and uncirculated John Adams dollar coins you find.
Here is a video that sheds light on grading the John Adams Presidential Dollar and what you should look out for.
Rare John Adams Dollar Coin Errors List
It’s no news that coin errors increase the value of a coin by a tremendous amount. Here is a list of some of the rarest John Adams dollar coin errors you should look out for when collecting these Presidential series.
John Adams Dollar Coin Double Edge Lettering Overlap Error
The edge lettering overlap errors occur when the lettering on the coin’s edge appears more than once and overlaps. You will find this error in regular strike John Adams dollar coins from the Philadelphia and Denver mint.
Double-edge lettering overlap errors are worth as much as $300 when in a mint state. Error coins of this kind with the D mint marks are relatively scarce to find than their P mint mark counterparts.
John Adams Dollar Coin Broadstruck Error
Broadstruck errors are quite rare with the John Adams Presidential dollar coins and cost as much as $500 when graded. The error is triggered by improperly striking a coin in its retaining collar, resulting in a flattened coin thinner than others in circulation.
John Adams Dollar Coin Missing Edge Lettering Error
The missing edge lettering error, unlike their Washington counterparts, is quite scarce, and according to the professional coin grading service, only 1800 of these errors have been graded. This is on the low side compared to the 20,000 Washington Presidential coins with this error that have been graded.
All errors of this kind that have been graded are from the Philadelphia mint. They include regular strike coins and special strike series. Finding this error is similar to hitting gold, costing as much as $900. As per Heritage auctions, one of these errors was $3335 in 2009.
John Adams Dollar Coin Strike Through Error
Strike-through errors are another of John Adams’s dollar coin errors that will fetch a pretty sum in the numismatic world. These errors occur when foreign objects or materials come in between the die and the coins during the striking process, resulting in an incompletely struck coin with details. Errors of this nature can cost $5- $150.
John Adams Dollar Coin Inverted Double Edge Lettering Error
Inverted double-edge lettering errors, like regular double-edge lettering errors, are the appearance of the letters on the edges of a coin more than once; however, here, the letterings face opposite directions. They are common to the Philadelphia mint mark coins and are worth as much as $225.
John Adams Dollar Coin Off-Center Error
Off-center errors are no new occurrence in the numismatic world. However, for the Presidential series, they are quite rare and can cost as much as $1000.
John Adams Dollar Coin FAQs
What is the Most Valuable $1 Coin?
The most valuable $1 coin worth $13,311,850 is the 1794 flowing-hair silver dollar. This silver dollar was the first of its kind minted in the United States, and it features fifteen stars around its periphery, a bust of Lady Liberty on its obverse, and a wreath around an eagle on its reverse. This coin was designed by Robert Scot, while Frederick Geiger, a typographer, executed the letterings.
Is the John Adams Coin Real Gold?
The John Adams coin isn’t made of real gold. It is, however, an alloy of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel clad to a core of pure copper.
How Many Presidential $1 Coins are There?
There are currently 37 Presidential $1 coins in existence. These coins feature the images of all former Presidents of the United States of America. The Presidential $1 coin series does not include Presidents that are still alive.
Can you Spend Presidential Coins?
You can spend the Presidential coins since they are legal tenders in the United States. However, since the first set of the Washington Presidential series ended as stockpiles, they are no longer minted for circulation but for historians and coin collectors.
