The one dollar denomination has been a way of life for Americans since the beginning of the United States Mint in 1792. Some of the first coins minted in the United States were Flowing Hair dollars that now bring hefty premiums at auctions. The dollar coin went through many changes over the years but remained in circulation well beyond the final year of regular production of silver dollars, 1935.

  By the end of the 1960s, with silver now out of current production in U.S. coins, collectors began to hoard the silver dollars they could find. In 1971 Congress saw a need for a circulating dollar coin, and produced the first circulating dollar coin since 1935. The Eisenhower dollar is the largest and thickest clad coin the United States Mint has ever made. Even though the size of the coin had fallen out of favor with the public, the Mint continued producing them until 1978 when a bill was passed to change the size of the one dollar coin.

  1979 was a year for change in the U.S. Mint. This year marks the first year for adding the 'P' mintmark to circulating coins made at the Philadelphia Mint as a regular practice (except for the cent, which remains the only Philadelphia minted coin to date without a mintmark). This year also marks the first use of a once living woman's likeness on a regular circulating United States coin. Susan B. Anthony, famous for women's sufferage, was chosen for the obverse design of a newly redesigned dollar that was much smaller than the Eisenhower dollar. At just between the size of a quarter and half dollar, the new dollar coin was just what the public needed - a coin that would spend as a dollar, yet not take up too much space in purses and pockets.

  Unfortunately the composition of the new Susan B. Anthony dollar was exactly the same as the quarter, the size was nearly the same as a quarter, and the edge was reeded - just like the quarter. The public fell into immediate distaste with the new coin because they were frequently accidentally spent as quarters. The new dollar program was a failure, the coins did not circulate, and the program was ended just two years after it began in 1981.

  In 1997 a bill passed through Congress to mint a new one dollar coin, this time because of the rising cost of making paper currency in the one dollar denomination. The cost of minting a coin would be less than 3 cents per unit, and the cost of printing a dollar bill was over 85 cents. The coins would last up to 25 years in circulation, yet the dollar bill only lasted six months on average. Congress saw the need for a coin that was very different from the quarter so as not to repeat the mistake made with the Anthony dollar. A decision was made to mint coins of brass and manganese clad layers that would be gold in color and have smooth edges so it would be easily distinguishable from the quarter.

  The design process for the new dollar coin began with not enough time to mint the coins before the bill went into law, so 1999 Susan B. Anthony dies were created to fulfill the law for production of a one dollar coin, and to meet the needs of postal vending machines. Some 40 million pieces were minted before the plug was finally pulled on this not so well respected coin.

  The year 2000 saw the first production of a golden dollar coin. The obverse of the coin exhibited an American Native theme, bearing the portrait of Sacagawea, guide to Lewis and Clark. The reverse continued to show an eagle, this time with wings spread in mid flight. The coin was advertised by the Mint in what would be the largest advertising campaign in which the U.S. Mint had ever become involved. Great effort was exherted in making this coin a success, but to the dismay of the Mint, the coin was another failure. By now the public had become so used to having the dollar bill, they favored the paper over any coin. Regular production of the Sacagawea dollar coin was halted after 2002.

  The success of the statehood quarter program gave the Mint the idea of using the dollar coin as a canvas for another educational coin that might just kick start the dollar coin into circulation. In 2007 the first Presidential dollar coins were minted in a program that would mint coins of four different presidents each year. While the Presidential dollar coin program is still in progress, it appears that the public acceptance of spending a one dollar coin is still no greater than it has been in the recent past.