New American $1 coin 2026: The world of money just got a huge boost into the digital age. The United States Mint has released the official designs for its highly anticipated 2026 American Innovation $1 Coin set, and the star is none other than Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Putting the tech visionary on a US dollar coin has caused a lot of talk right away, making the US Mint's 2026 program the most talked-about numismatic news.
This highly collectible series of innovation dollars will honor major advancements from four states: Iowa, Wisconsin, California, and Minnesota. Beyond the Steve Jobs coin, the program spotlights the revolutionary Cray-1 Supercomputer and a figure credited with saving over a billion lives.
Given its modern themes and a special 250th-anniversary mark, this set is poised to be one of the most popular issues for coin-collecting enthusiasts and tech fans alike.
What is the American Innovation $1 Coin Program and 2026 Design?
Public Law 115-197 set up the American Innovation $1 Coin Program, which will run for several years. Its goal is to honor important innovations and pioneering work in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories.
Four distinctive reverse designs are released each year. For 2026, the coins will be particularly special due to the Semiquincentennial coin privy mark.
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Commemorative Mark: The head side of the 2026 coins will have a special privy mark that includes a Liberty Bell and the words "250" to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
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Common Design: All American Innovation $1 coins have the same front design, which shows a dramatic profile of the Statue of Liberty.
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The Steve Jobs Coin Design - California
The California coin honors Steve Jobs and his vision for technology that is easy to use. The design is both reflective and inspiring.
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Innovation/Innovator: Steve Jobs
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Design Imagery: A young Jobs is shown sitting in front of a Northern California landscape of rolling, oak-covered hills, suggesting how nature inspired his design philosophy.
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Inscription: "STEVE JOBS" and the famous mantra, "MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL."
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Significance: The design represents California's pivotal role in pioneering Silicon Valley and the digital revolution.
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Cray-1 Supercomputer Innovation - Wisconsin Dollar Coin
Jumping from personal computing to high-speed science, the Wisconsin coin celebrates a machine that was critical for early technological and defense advancements.
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Innovation: The Cray-1 Supercomputer.
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Imagery: The design features a stylized aerial view of the iconic C-shaped Cray-1 Supercomputer, emphasizing its unique form and power.
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Significance: Seymour Cray designed the Cray-1, which came out in 1976. It pushed forward progress in areas like nuclear research, weather forecasting, and cryptographic analysis, making Wisconsin a leader in high-speed computing.
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Dr. Norman Borlaug - Iowa's Green Revolution Dollar Coin
Iowa’s coin shines a light on a humanitarian scientist whose work fundamentally changed global agriculture.
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Innovator: Dr. Norman Borlaug, often called the "Father of the Green Revolution."
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Imagery: The coin depicts Dr. Borlaug holding a sheaf of wheat, symbolizing his life's work.
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Significance: Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on developing disease-resistant, high-yield wheat varieties. His work is credited with saving more than a billion people from starvation. He is one of the most important people to ever be honored on a US dollar coin.
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Mobile Refrigeration Innovation - Minnesota's Dollar Coin
Minnesota's entry honors an invention that may seem simple but was very important for modern supply chains and making fresh food available all over the country.
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Innovation: Mobile Refrigeration.
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Imagery: The design shows a truck from the 1940s with an early front-mounted refrigeration unit, which is a common invention of the Minnesota-based company Thermo King.
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Significance: Before this breakthrough, it was very hard to move perishable goods over long distances. Mobile refrigeration made it possible to send fresh food all over the country, changing the way people eat and do business.
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These American Innovation $1 Coins are small, real-life reminders of the people and ideas that have had a big impact on modern life, from global food security to personal computers. The US Mint 2026 set is expected to be a long-lasting favorite because it has a special Semiquincentennial coin mark. This will spark interest in coin collecting for many years to come.
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