Harry S. Truman Dollar Coin: Value, Varieties & Collector Guide

Out of all presidents that the Presidential Dollar Coin program honored, Harry S. Truman was one of the most famous. What values, varieties, and errors did his coin have? We will give Harry Truman's dollar coin a proper overview.

Overview of the Harry S. Truman Presidential $1 Coin

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953). Many still fondly remember the past president for ending World War II, starting the Marshall Plan, and navigating the country in the early years of the Cold War.

In 2015, the Harry Truman dollar coin was issued, a much-anticipated issue among the presidential coins. Don Everhart designed his coin (he also worked on many other Presidential dollars, e.g., the Ronald Reagan dollar). The design is deeply patriotic:

Obverse Design: A portrait of Harry S. Truman, facing left. The inscriptions surround him: “HARRY S. TRUMAN”, “33rd PRESIDENT”, and his term years, “1945–1953”.

Reverse Design: The Statue of Liberty holding her torch. You will see the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and the denomination “$1”.The same design is used for all Presidential coins.

"Indeed, Truman faced critical foreign and domestic challenges during his two-term presidency, including guiding the nation through the final stages of the war against Japan and avoiding a recession during the transition from war to peace; preventing the spread of communism; and addressing civil rights issues."
— United States Mint
Official Website 

Current Market Value by Grade and Condition

The market value of the Harry S. Truman dollar largely depends on its condition (also called “grade”). To make the story short, coins are assigned points for how well they are preserved, from 1 to 70. Starting from 60 points, bits are considered Uncirculated and have a higher value.

On the other hand, most modern dollars below Uncirculated grade are worth face value:

Harry Truman coin value is not unique, and many other Presidential issues (e.g., the James Monroe dollar) had similar prices.

Mint Marks and Varieties for the Truman Dollar Coin

How many varieties does the Harry Truman coin have? There are three main mint varieties, distinguished by their edge-engraved mint marks:

• 2015-P (from Philadelphia Mint). Mintage: 4,900,000.

• 2015-D (from Denver Mint). Mintage: 3,500,000.

• 2015-S (from San Francisco Mint). Mintage: 1,272,462.

Philadelphia and Denver made business strikes, while San Francisco made special proofs, reserved for collectors.

Any mint mark variety could also have an error with the planchet or edge inscription. In the worst case, there would be no edge at all to identify the mint mark. Most edge errors are worth at least $50:

• Improperly annealed planchet: The outer brass layer is missing, and the bit loses its golden appearance.

• Partial edge strikes: Some letters or stars are not fully struck. They may appear faint. This error is common, but it often needs a look from a professional. An enthusiast may confuse this error with wear, which is normal.

• Missing letters: Entire edge inscriptions may be absent in rare cases. More valuable than partial edge strikes

• Doubled-edge lettering: Elements of the inscription appear doubled. Usually, the doubled fragments appear as faint “ghost” images of the original letters.

So, is President Truman on a coin? He finally is, and he appeared on a great coin. Hopefully, this dollar will help newer generations remember this president.