US Mint $1 Coins Question

I guess it depends on how strict you want to be with the definition of "circulation."

After the Presidential dollar series ended in 2011, the Mint stopped producing $1 coins for day-to-day circulation. The Native American $1 Coin Program - begun in 2009 - transitioned from a circulation coin to primarily a collector coin in 2011. (The Presidential $1 series had a special addition in 2020 with the release of the George Bush $1 coin - it was issued in multiple collector options vs. for circulation.)

The current Native American $1 coins and the American Innovation $1 series are considered "circulation coins" by the Mint, but they are only sold by the Mint at a premium in rolls/bags/packaged sets; they are not struck for general circulation

Vending machines that accept/dispense $1 coins. do so with recycled coins vs. newly-struck (unless someone dumps new coins into the system at a personal financial loss).

Hope that helps!

Thanks Commems, your post is informative and appreciated!

One point of clarification, the original run of the $1 Presidential Coin series concluded in 2016. However, that series did transition to numismatic-only after the 2011 issues along with the Native American series and the special release for GHWB in 2020.

Though as commems mentioned, one *could* spend them if one wished. When I was collecting the series from circulation I'd find a post-2011 issue from time to time when I asked for dollar coins from the bank teller.

I did not know that there were enough dollars for 21 years. However, if they abolish the paper $1 Federal Reserve Note, I wonder what the 21 year supply would reduce to? Financially it is less expensive to mint coins versus paper currency, since currency does not last that long in circulation. Maybe they should also mint $2 and $5 coins.