With all of the hype (or some criticism) for Apple’s newest iPhone 16e this week, we actually have another product to look forward to for next year. And no, it’s not an Apple product, but rather a coin. Yes, that’s right. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, nominated Steve Jobs to be featured on the dollar coin as part of the American Innovation $1 Coin Program. Started in 2018 with an introductory coin, this 12-year program celebrates innovations and inventors across the United States. Every year, the United States Mint releases four new dollar coins under this program that represent each of the 50 states by order of ratification/admission to the Union, followed by the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and California will be represented as one of the four coins for next year. Every coin under this program has a common obverse (or “heads”) design that depicts the Statue of Liberty along with a privy mark that’s unique to every year. The reverse (or “tails”) depicts an invention or inventor for each of the states and territories as well as the District of Columbia. You can learn more about this program on the U.S. Mint website.
Image: United States Mint
On February 18, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee held a meeting to review the design candidates for the California dollar coin along with other dollar coins under the program for 2026. Here are the designs that could possibly be featured on the coin (you can also view the images on the U.S. Mint website):
The committee recommends one of the designs above to be the final design that will be put on the coin, and the U.S. Mint will announce the final design for the coin by the end of this year along with the other coins for next year. The coin will be minted for production sometime the following year. Keep in mind that dollar coins are not minted for circulation, but you will be able to purchase them in uncirculated, proof, or even reverse-proof conditions, whether in individual bags/rolls or even in proof sets. These dollar coins will be minted for that year only, so their limited quantities will be worth a lot of collector’s value in years to come, especially for the proof/reverse-proof versions.
If you’re interested, you can watch the live event for the public meeting on YouTube to hear the discussions on the candidate designs:
Since 2026 will also mark the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, since the United States gained its independence, the U.S. Mint will also mint circulating coins with fresh new designs for that year only. This means new designs for the dime, quarter, and half-dollar to celebrate the nation’s independence. So next year will be a huge year for not only coin collectors, but also particularly Steve Jobs fans, and this upcoming coin will be the perfect collector’s item for any Apple enthusiast. I’m personally a coin collector myself, so I’d definitely collect this one when it comes out.
Will you be collecting this coin when it comes out next year? Drop a comment below, and follow us on X for more Apple-related news.
