US coins depicting people still alive at the time

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Troodon, Dec 6, 2025 at 12:27 PM.

  1. Troodon

    Troodon Coin Collector

    This is something I thought of back when the Trump dollar was proposed; I know there were other US coins depicting people, who at the time of their minting, were in fact still alive. Generally this is not supposed to happen according to certain laws, but exceptions tend to be made for commemorative coins.

    These are the ones I know of, if I missed any let me know:
    1. 1921 Alabama Centennial half dollar, depicts then Alabama governor Thomas Kilby, who died in 1943. The first ever US coin to depict someone still alive at the time of minting. Also, so far, this is the longest someone depicted on a coin while still alive, lived after being so depicted.

    2. 1926 American Sesquicentennial half dollar, depicts then president Calvin Coolidge, who died in 1933. The first, and as of now the only, president to be on a US coin while is still alive(this may change if the proposed Trump dollar actually gets minted).

    3. 1936 Lynchburg, Virginia, Sesquicentennial half dollar, depicts Senator Carter Glass, who died in 1946.

    4. 1936 Arkansas Centennial half dollar, depicts Senator Joseph Robinson, who died in 1937.

    5. 1995 Special Olympics silver dollar, depicts Eunice Shriver, who died in 2009.

    6. 2016 Nancy Reagan first lady $10 gold coin, that depicts Nancy Reagan, who died on March 6, 2016... this one is kind of a technicality, because while she was still alive when the coin was designed and minted, she died before the coin was officially released to the public on July 1, 2016. To date, among people depicted on a coin while still alive, Nancy Reagan lived the shortest amount of time after being so depicted.

    7. Even more of a technicality, and most people don't include this one on the list:
    2019 Apollo 11 50th anniversary half dollar/silver dollar/$5 gold piece/5 oz. silver coin:
    the design on the reverse is based on a photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon, who died in 2012, but... Buzz Aldrin took the picture, and you can clearly see his shadow in the design, so it technically depicts Buzz Aldrin too, who as of time I write this is still alive (born in 1930, he is currently 95 years old).

    I don't think I missed any (and I don't count medals minted by the US Mint, where there is no rule or guideline against depicting still living people, and such a thing is done very often. List of US medals depicting still living people would be WAY too long lol. Some of them are even currently for sale on the Mint's website). If there's any I missed let me know.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2025 at 12:48 PM
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  3. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    All right, that's even too picky for me. :hilarious:
     
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  4. Troodon

    Troodon Coin Collector

    Lol... well, it is technically correct, which is the best kind of correct...

     
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  5. ksmooter61

    ksmooter61 Not in Kansas anymore

    Were any of those coins intended for circulation? I know they're technically money but never used as such.
     
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  6. Troodon

    Troodon Coin Collector

    Did some further research, and took a good look at the reverse design of the Apollo 11 coin....

    The photograph it's based on was actually taken by Neil Armstrong. But the composition of the photograph is a little strange, because of what you're looking at. It's zoomed in, but that's the helmet of Buzz Aldrin (so yes, Buzz Aldrin is in the picture, since he's wearing that helmet). The visor of the helmet shows the reflection... of Neil Armstrong. That shadow is Neil Armstrong's too. This is, btw, the only photograph we have of Neil Armstrong on the moon, since he never thought to hand the camera to Aldrin to get in any of the pictures, and it happened entirely on accident.

    So this coin isn't as picky as I thought, though technically you can't see Buzz Aldrin's face in the reverse design. But the entire design is framed by Aldrin's helmet, and his head was in that helmet, so... it is still a depiction of Buzz Aldrin, so it counts! It is still really nitpicky lol just not for the reason I originally thought.

    After all, the famous photograph of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, we still count the people in the picture whose faces we can't clearly see, as being in the picture. So by the same standard, Buzz Aldrin is in that picture, and on that coin.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
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  7. Troodon

    Troodon Coin Collector

    None were intended to circulate (although in the classic commemorative days, sometimes they did anyway).
     
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