the existence of this coin is a violation of federal law. 31 U.S. Code 5114-b states only deceased people can be on US currency.
This one is false. That applies to paper currency. The legislation passed in 2021 (Circulating Collectible Coin
Redesign Act of 2020) that amended the laws on coinage prohibits depictions of living people on the reverse of coins.
‘(aa) STANDARDS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR CIRCULATING
COLLECTIBLE COINS UNDER SUBSECTIONS (X), (Y), AND (Z).—
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS.—No head
and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead,
and no portrait of a living person may be included in the
design on the reverse of any coin under subsections (x), (y),
and (z).
This is why they changed the design from what it initially was. The obverse side was Trumps inauguration portrait, and the reverse side was originally the photo from his assassination attempt, with his fist raised. That was illegal, so they changed the reverse to the presidential seal.
It’s also generally allowed to put living people on commemorative coins like this so long as they are not entering into circulation directly, which has happened 5 times previously.
Coins that had depictions of living people on them were the 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar which featured sitting Alabama Governor Thomas Kilby, the 1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar which featured sitting President Calvin Coolige, the 1936 Lynchburg Sesquicentennial half dollar which featured sitting US Senator Carter Glass (who himself proposed the legislation for the coin lol), the 1936 Arkansas–Robinson half dollar which featured sitting US Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson, and the 1995 Special Olympics World Games silver dollar which featured Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Now, there is a 2005 law for the Presidential gold dollar coin set that entered circulation that forbids a living president from being included on coins in that series, which is why they did this one as a semi quincentennial specific commemorative coin and did not put it into circulation.
they used his mugshot image as the base for the portrait. Making this illegal coin doubly symbolic
This is legal us tender. You can call it a commemorative coin all you want but that doesn’t change anything.
The reverse coin part doesn’t make a difference. There is a clear heads and tails on this coin and swapping the designation of which side is which does not change that.
There is a clear heads and tails on this coin and swapping the designation of which side is which does not change that.
Yes, and the tails side is the REVERSE of the coin, where images of living people are explicitly banned. Living people are ALLOWED on the obverse side, which IS the heads side.
I can see the argument. But there’s already been a living president on a commemorative independence anniversary coin with Calvin Coolidge on the sesquicentennial half dollar. Also sitting governors, senators, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
I hate it, personally. I think it’s the dumbest fucking thing, and it shows how much of a little bitch ego he has. It’s embarrassing. But, it’s also hard to get that upset about it when he’s not the first living person, or even the first sitting president, to be on a coin. And I think it’s kind of stupid to get upset about in the grand scheme of things.
Yes, it’s a normalization of him pushing himself into our norms like dictators do. I get that. But of all the shit he’s done and is doing, the coin is a distraction.
If all you have to do to make something illegal legal is just reverse the assignment of front and back then that is just cheating. What else should redefine? Trump forcing the government into partial ownership of companies isn’t fascism or socialism, it’s sparkling populism.
Where are you getting reversing the assignment of front and back??
Are you trying to say that his face is actually on the back of the coin or something?
In both designs, his inauguration portrait was the face. The previous design also had him on the tails side, which was illegal, which is why they changed it to the presidential seal.
Living people are allowed on the front of coins. This has happened other times already as well. They are not allowed on the back of coins.
This one is false. That applies to paper currency. The legislation passed in 2021 (Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020) that amended the laws on coinage prohibits depictions of living people on the reverse of coins.
‘(aa) STANDARDS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR CIRCULATING COLLECTIBLE COINS UNDER SUBSECTIONS (X), (Y), AND (Z).— ‘‘(1) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin under subsections (x), (y), and (z).
This is why they changed the design from what it initially was. The obverse side was Trumps inauguration portrait, and the reverse side was originally the photo from his assassination attempt, with his fist raised. That was illegal, so they changed the reverse to the presidential seal.
It’s also generally allowed to put living people on commemorative coins like this so long as they are not entering into circulation directly, which has happened 5 times previously.
Coins that had depictions of living people on them were the 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar which featured sitting Alabama Governor Thomas Kilby, the 1926 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar which featured sitting President Calvin Coolige, the 1936 Lynchburg Sesquicentennial half dollar which featured sitting US Senator Carter Glass (who himself proposed the legislation for the coin lol), the 1936 Arkansas–Robinson half dollar which featured sitting US Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson, and the 1995 Special Olympics World Games silver dollar which featured Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Now, there is a 2005 law for the Presidential gold dollar coin set that entered circulation that forbids a living president from being included on coins in that series, which is why they did this one as a semi quincentennial specific commemorative coin and did not put it into circulation.
The actual base for the portrait was his official 2025 inaugural portrait, taken by Daniel Torok. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_portraits_of_Donald_Trump#/media/File:January_2025_Official_Presidential_Portrait_of_Donald_J._Trump.jpg
That portrait was inspired by his mugshot though.
This is generally how commemorative coins from the Mint are. They’re collector items.
This is legal us tender. You can call it a commemorative coin all you want but that doesn’t change anything.
The reverse coin part doesn’t make a difference. There is a clear heads and tails on this coin and swapping the designation of which side is which does not change that.
By law, it literally does.
Yes, and the tails side is the REVERSE of the coin, where images of living people are explicitly banned. Living people are ALLOWED on the obverse side, which IS the heads side.
Even if it is legal, I feel like it breaks the spirit of the law
I can see the argument. But there’s already been a living president on a commemorative independence anniversary coin with Calvin Coolidge on the sesquicentennial half dollar. Also sitting governors, senators, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
I hate it, personally. I think it’s the dumbest fucking thing, and it shows how much of a little bitch ego he has. It’s embarrassing. But, it’s also hard to get that upset about it when he’s not the first living person, or even the first sitting president, to be on a coin. And I think it’s kind of stupid to get upset about in the grand scheme of things.
Yes, it’s a normalization of him pushing himself into our norms like dictators do. I get that. But of all the shit he’s done and is doing, the coin is a distraction.
If all you have to do to make something illegal legal is just reverse the assignment of front and back then that is just cheating. What else should redefine? Trump forcing the government into partial ownership of companies isn’t fascism or socialism, it’s sparkling populism.
Where are you getting reversing the assignment of front and back??
Are you trying to say that his face is actually on the back of the coin or something?
In both designs, his inauguration portrait was the face. The previous design also had him on the tails side, which was illegal, which is why they changed it to the presidential seal.
Living people are allowed on the front of coins. This has happened other times already as well. They are not allowed on the back of coins.