John Adams was the 2nd President of the United States, and he was in office from 1797 to 1801. His $1 coin was part of the Presidential Dollar Series that ran from 2007 to 2016, with one additional coin minted in 2020. They honored every US President, but s/he had to be deceased before s/he appeared on a coin. What’s the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value?
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Price Chart | |||
| Coin Variety | Mint Mark | Grade | Price |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-P Position A |
Philadelphia | MS 64 | $2,300 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-P Position B |
Philadelphia | MS 67 | $698 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-D Position A |
Denver | MS 68 | $69 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-D Position B |
Denver | MS 69 | $89 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-S Proof |
San Francisco | PR 70 DCAM | $127 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1
2007-P Position A Special Strike |
Philadelphia |
SP 69 |
$300 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007
Missing Edge Lettering Error (Smooth Edge Dollar / Godless Dollar) |
Missing |
MS 64 |
$3,335 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007-P Doubled Edge Lettering Overlap
(Typewriter Edge Error) |
Philadelphia
|
MS 66 |
$288 |
| John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007-P
Weak Edge Lettering Error |
Philadelphia | MS 66 | $440 |
History of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
The John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin was minted in 2007. It was the second Presidential $1 and was intended for circulation. But $1 coins have never been popular for everyday use in the US. The coin is too heavy and bulky so people prefer $1 bills. In the final years of the series (2011 to 2016), the mint stopped business strikes and only produced collector’s coins.
The plan was to do four presidents every year, but the president had to be dead for at least two years before s/he appeared on the coin. A similar program honored their spouses on a $10 gold coin that weighed half an ounce. For unmarried presidents, the heads side would feature Lady Liberty. The 2012 President Arthur coin had Alice Paul since he was a widower.
But let’s talk a bit about John Adams. He was one of the Founding Fathers and served as a diplomat to Europe and the First Vice President before taking up the top spot. By profession, he was an activist and a lawyer. But he was a controversial figure and lost his seat to his Vice President after one term. That said, he was the first US President to live in the White House.
Features of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
To describe a coin, it’s useful to know the technical terms. The obverse is the heads side and the reverse is the tail side. The thinnest flipping side is called the edge, and coins sometimes have raised borders called collars or rims. Also, the edge might have words engraved on it.
Any writing on the coin is called a legend or motto while the images are known as devices. A coin’s backdrop is called its field. Sometimes, a coin has dots or lines along the rim called denticles or beading. And the edge can either be reeded (if it has ridges) or smooth aka plain.
Obverse of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
The obverse (heads side) of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 coin features President John Adams facing right. His name is above his head. Below his chest, it says 2nd President 1797 – 1801. His portrait is at an angle with both eyes showing. It was designed by Joel Iskowitz and engraved by Charles Vickers. Their initials – JI and CLV – are on his left and right shoulder.
Reverse of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
The reverse (tails side) of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 coin features the Statue of Liberty facing left, partially inside a ring. The designer’s initials, DE for Don Everhart, are hidden in her tablet, on the lower right of the coin. United States is on the left side of her torch while Of America is on the right side. $1 is on the lower left, under the torch, next to her robed armpit.
Other Features of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
The coin looks like gold, but it’s 88.5% copper clad with an alloy of 2% nickel, 6% zinc, and 3.5% manganese. It weighs 8.1g, is 26.49mm in diameter (1”), and is 2mm thick. The edge is engraved with the mint mark, date, and the mottos E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust.
The mint date is 2007, and multiple sources suggest the coin has 13 five-pointed stars for the 13 original states. But coin samples have a dot after the mint mark (P, D, or S), another dot after Unum, and a third after Trust. From 2009, In God We Trust was moved to the obverse.
Value of the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
In 2007, the Denver Mint produced 112,140,000 $1 coins with the D Mint Mark while the Philadelphia Mint made 112,420,000 $1 coins with the P Mint Mark. Regular Strikes aka Business Strikes are circulating coins while proofs are for collectors and records. Position A and Position B refer to the orientation of the coin’s edge lettering. Let’s look at the specifics.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-P $1 Regular Strike Position A
On Position A coins, the edge letters are upside-down when the president was face-up. They have a P Mint Mark for Philadelphia. For reference, edge lettering was used back in the days of specie metals (gold and silver). They prevented people from shaving off the coin’s edges, a sneaky habit that lowered the weight and value of the coin. First Day issues fetch better rates.
A proven 1st Day MS 65 sold for $246 in November 2022, and since PCGS has only graded 4 coins at MS 67, their current estimate is $6,000. But the record price for a regular MS 64 is $2,300 in September 2009, and an MS 66 was $1,500 in August 2009. An MS 68 was $81 in March 2008. But since PCGS has received close to 1,500 MS 66s, the 2023 estimate is $20.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-P $1 Regular Strike Position B
On Position B coins, the edge lettering is upright when the president was face-up. Half the $1 coins are Bs, and the P Mint Mark shows the coin was minted in Philadelphia. You can find more information at Coin Value Checker. Coins issued on Day 1 (with evidence) sell higher.
A First Day coin graded MS 67 sold for $698 in May 2012. But the highest price on record for a regular $1 coin graded MS 64 was $84 in August 2009 on eBay. That said, with over 2,500 coins graded MS 65 and over 1,300 in MS 66, the current PCGS estimate is $12 for an MS 66.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-D $1 Regular Strike Position A
When the coin is on the obverse side i.e. the president is facing up, Denver coins minted in Position A have their edge lettering upside-down. It’s common, so MS 60 to MS 65 is only $10. The record is $69 for MS 68 in April 2008, and the current estimate is $12 for MS 66.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-D $1 Regular Strike Position B
Position B on Denver coins have legible upright lettering when the president is face-up, and they have the D Mint Mark. An MS 69 was $89 in September 2020 and an MS 65 was $40 in March 2022. But since PCGS has only graded one MS 68, they estimate its value at $1,350.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-P and 2007-D $1 Satin Finish
Satin Finish coins – as their name implies – had a satin finish on both the device and the field. 895,628 were coined for collectors with 50-50 A and B edge lettering. They’re graded SP for Special Strike. A 2007-P SP 69 Position A was $179 in 2011 and a Position B was $300 in 2022. A 2007-D SP 69 Position A was $95 in 2018 and a Position B was $69 in April 2018.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin Value – 2007-S $1 Proof
Proof coins were minted in San Francisco and had the S Mint Mark on the side. The Mint made 3,965,989 of them. Incidentally, the font on all Presidential $1 coins is ITC Benguiat. Being base metal coins, they’re referred to as golden dollars to distinguish them from specie gold dollars that have actual gold. Proof coins are struck on special pre-burnished planchets.
This gives the blanks extra shine. They also use special dies to ensure the details are sharper. Typically, the device is frosted with lasers or acid while the field is polished to a mirror-like finish. Edge lettering is imprinted with a three-piece detachable collar, so it’s always upright. A PR 70 DCAM was $127 in January 2008. It’s estimated at $30 today since over 1,300 exist.
Errors on the John Adams 1797 to 1801 Coin
The official release date for John Adams 1797 to 1801 coins was 17th May 2007. But many banks released them early and errors were soon spotted. Since mint mistakes can raise the resale value of a coin, let’s look at some common errors on the John Adams 1797 to 1801. Coins are minted on blank discs called planchets. Planchets are punched out of sheet metal.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007-P Weak Edge Lettering Edge Error
On some coins, the edge lettering wasn’t fully rendered so the side text is faint. An MS 66 2007-P Position B with weak edge letters was $440 in January 2019 while an MS 65 was $30 in January 2013. But PCGS has only graded one coin as MS 66, so they estimate it as $150.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007 Doubled Edge Overlap (Typewriter Edge Error)
Presidential Dollars are minted in two steps. The first step imprints the heads and tails sides. The second step incuses the text on the sides. If the coin doubles the second step, you can get overlapping letters aka Typewriter Edge Error. A 2007-P MS 64 was $24 in February 2022. And an MS 66 was $288 in February 2022. A 2007-D NGC Genuine was $100 in July 2019.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 2007-P Missing Edge Lettering Error
In some cases, the mint forgot to do Step 2 so the coin didn’t pass through the edge incusion machine. It then came out with blank edges aka Godless Dollars because they didn’t have ‘In God We Trust’ plus all the other letters. Some people refer to them as Smooth Edge Dollars.
The record is $3,335 for an MS 64 in October 2009. An NGC-graded MS 66 was $690 in May 2008. But PCGS has only graded 75 coins as MS 66 and places their current value estimate at $475. Be careful though. Lots of people counterfeit these coins by scratching off the side text.
John Adams 1797 to 1801 $1 Lettered Blank and Inverted Doubled Edge Errors
The opposite of a Smooth Edge or Godless Dollar is a Lettered Blank Dollar. That’s when a coin went through Step 2 but skipped Step 1, so the obverse and reverse are blank but the edge is inscribed. And the opposite of the Doubled Edge Lettering Overlap is the Inverted $1.
That’s when the coin flips while it’s passing through the Schuler Edge Incusion Machine for the second time. As a result, the two sets of edge inscriptions go in opposite directions i.e. inverted doubling. At the moment, there’s no verifiable sales data for these two coin errors.
